Scents & Spices
by Traingham
Summary: A collection of Dissidia drabbles on the theme of enjoying strange and unfamiliar worlds and sensations, whether physical or emotional. A new step is always a new adventure. -Squall-centric- I'd come up with a better summary, but...still undecided...
1. Firm but Gentle

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters..._

**_Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices_**

**_CHAPTER ONE_**

_By Traingham_

**_Author's Note: _**_The first dip into new territory is always the hardest, eh?_

* * *

><p>"For all the trouble we go through to gather them..." Squall Leonhart started off, massaging his fingers into the raw behemoth steak sitting on the flat stone situated on top of his lap. The coating of salt and garlic mingled with some of the leftover blood that secreted from the pores of the meat as his fingers dug into it, keeping Lightning's eyes transfixed upon the meticulous movements of his fingers. Squall continued while she observed in poorly concealed fascination, "...our stock of elixirs deplete ridiculously fast whenever we purchase cooking ingredients from those moogles."<p>

"Yeah, but I'd like to have some flavor in my meat every once in a while." The former sergeant replied to the SeeD commander absently, her eyes never moving away from the sight of his digits. "It's nothing to worry about, anyway. We budget ourselves with our stock, so by the time we run out of salt and garlic we'll have more elixirs to trade than we did before we made this purchase." Her tongue passed over her lips unconsciously.

Squall peered up to stare at her, noticing the intensity swirling within her eyes as she continued to observe him massage their dinner for the evening. "Light." The black lion halted his fingers and drew his hands away from the large steak, getting a subtle flicker of disappointment to appear in his silent companion's eyes.

She met his eyes with a slight raise of her left eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Take off your gloves and wash your hands." He tossed his chin in the direction of the brook babbling beside them. "You should take over from here."

"Why?" Lightning narrowed her eyes in confusion. "You're doing just fine."

"Just wash your hands." Squall prompted her, not oblivious to the discomfort present in her body language at the idea of assisting in the food preparation. "You've been staring so hard at my fingers, I'm surprised they haven't burned off." He was met with a defiant glare at first, perhaps because she was embarrassed at being caught staring, but the pinkette eventually submitted to his request, removing her gloves and setting them down beside the rock she was sitting on before rising from her makeshift chair and walking over to the brook. When she returned to her seat Squall passed her the flat stone and she rested it on her own lap, blinking at the large steak as if just then realizing what she had accepted to do.

"...Alright." Lightning grumbled to herself, but just loud enough for Squall to pick up with his ears. The L'Cie held her hands over the steak awkwardly, wiggling her fingers briefly before she pressed them into the steak with such force that the blood stored within bubbled out like a scene out of a horror movie. Her black clad companion watched on apprehensively as she proceeded to dig her fingers through the steak roughly, soaking her fingers into the seasoning and leaving imprinted lines along the surface of the meat as if her intention all along was to plow through it. "So..." She glanced up at him, missing the way he reverted back to his usual mask of stoicism when she did. "...how am I doing?" Her voice came off slightly strained when she spoke, giving him the impression that she wasn't enjoying this task very much.

"Relax yourself." Squall instructed her.

Lightning paused her fingers with a thoughtful nod of her head and resumed again, however, her technique remained all the same even though she appeared to be convinced that she was doing better than before. "How about now?" She inquired, her voice still somewhat strained as she did. She stared up at him in wait for a reply while her fingers continued to mutilate their steak. "So?" She asked him a second time, her movements gradually slowing as the uncertainty in her continued to build.

"Are you tense?"

"Huh?" She stopped moving her fingers. "What do you mean?"

"You don't look very comfortable." He observed with a calculating stare. "Have you ever done this before?"

The pinkette's eyes sharpened in response to his question, taking it a little personally for some reason. "Yeah, I have."

Squall hesitated upon seeing how she responded to his inquiry, but he didn't see this going any other way unless he proceeded with it. "How often?"

"What does it matter, _schoolboy_?" And now he was sure that he touched a tender spot, because it'd been a while since she called him by her personal moniker for him. "Do you have a problem with how I'm going about this?"

Squall stood from his seat, alerting her as he moved around to stand behind her. "Do you mind?" He asked her carefully, not wanting to sour her mood further by assisting without her permission, but the expression on her face as she stared up at him from over her shoulder told him that she wasn't as annoyed as he thought her to be, especially with how her cheeks faintly tinged with a shade of red.

"...Whatever." She allowed stubbornly, turning her attention back to the steak. "Do what you want."

"Thanks." Squall let a small smile slip before he leaned over, resting his chest on her back as he sat his chin upon her left shoulder. The heat in her left cheek became apparent to him as their cheeks pressed, as did the rise in her body temperature when his hands rested upon her own. "Relax your body, Light." He told her softly, stroking the back of her hands with his thumbs. "There we go..." He cooed when he felt the tension in her shoulders give way so that his body molded against hers. He slid his fingers in between her own and began moving them against the steak in a gentle motion, inciting her to imitate his movements with her own fingers.

"Just like that." The commander continued in a soothing voice as they massaged together. "Be gentle with it; firm but gentle, as you would with all things of value to you."

"Firm but gentle, huh?" Lightning mused, getting lost in the intimate motion. "Like you would with a lover?"

"Exactly." Squall answered her, pulling his chin back slightly so that they could stare into each other's eyes. "Although some partners would disagree with that."

"Not that you mind it." Lightning quipped back with a smirk. "Or do you?"

"Oh, hey...um, guys?" Squall and Lightning pulled away from each other irritably and turned their attention to the one responsible for killing the mood, one Bartz Klauser. The mime didn't appear to read the mood in spite of the glares he was receiving from the both of them, though Zidane seemed to get the message fairly quickly, tugging on Bartz's shirt to inform him of the dangerous atmosphere that was developing. "Zidane and I accidentally overcooked our food, so..." For reasons that escaped the wanderer he felt sweat begin to drip from his forehead as Squall and Lightning continued to stare him down. "...do you mind if we, uh, join you for dinner tonight?"

_"BARTZ...BARTZ." _Zidane hissed at his friend in a sharp whisper. _"LET'S GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE."_

"Calm down, Zidane." Bartz told him with a reassuring grin. "Squall will let us join in." He turned his attention back to the two who were still staring a hole into his face. "So, um..."

_Bartz stared at them awkwardly..._

_...Lightning and Squall stared back._

"Heeeeey." The light bulb finally clicked. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Zidane shook his head, "Too late for that."

* * *

><p><em><strong>END<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong><em>A.N _**_Drabbles...I've never written them, and quite frankly I think they're hard to pull off, but after reading through Sadistic Lunatic's masterful compilation of "SCE" last night I couldn't beat away the inspiration that he filled me with to follow along and contribute to the section. I guess that's the result of reading a good story, Lol._

_Anyway, here is the beginning of what I hope to be a fun writing experience. Since the whole Squall x Lightning pairing got stuck in my head the first chapter was predictably about those two, but the rest of the themes should vary unless I succumb to this pairing, and to be honest I'm seriously tempted to. Writing Squall into a convincing romantic entanglement is hard enough, but Lightning-–I just can't help, but rise to the challenge. Well, next chapter should be a Squall x Ultimecia affair since I've been entertaining the idea for while so I hope you guys look forward to it! _

_Take care,_

_Traingham..._


	2. Dark Knight

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters..._

**_Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices_**

**_CHAPTER TWO_**

_By Traingham_

**_A.N/_**_ Well, this was bigger than expected. Whatever, enjoy!_

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><p>In retrospect, now that Squall Leonhart brought himself to think about it, he never had any personal feelings against Ultimecia. Their twisted relationship had developed into what it had become today only because they understood the threats that they posed toward each other, and so when they were no longer apart; when they found that they were face to face and within reach of one another, they fought. Seed thrust blade against sorcery, and sorceress pushed back against the cold cruelty of the blade like two opposing forces destined to do battle until the end of time. This was the path that Squall and Ultimecia were destined to follow, and within the domain of endless conflict they both found that this path had no end.<p>

_And so, they lusted for blood and they drank of one another heartily._

_They feasted until they had their fill, and feasted further until they fell ill._

_Their ache became pleasure akin to a drug._

"Keep running!" Squall barked at his eternal adversary, swiping at the spaces that Ultimecia occupied with his gunblade. The SeeD commander's form was elegant and brutal with his fierce sword dance, but every swing of his sword was met with empty results as the sorceress was quick to deny his blood lust purchase, phasing out of existence with her time bending abilities each and every opportunity his fang sought to sink into her luscious flesh. "You'll slip in due time!" Squall swung his sword around while whipping with a jump in the air and brought his foot down upon her forehead with an axe-kick, but Ultimecia's solid form escaped him again like a mirage.

"Are you a lion, or a dog?" She taunted him with a playful giggle, one that worked on his nerves with surprising ease. "All I see here is a barking mutt!" She cut at the air with an elegant flick of her taloned hand and three spears shot from the ground in front of her like a summoned bulwark, stopping Squall's gunblade in mid-swing. Seeing him in the process of pulling back from her parry, the sorceress jumped back and twisted her body like a serpent, sending a rapid fire of knight daggers shrieking through the air in his direction.

"Huhp!" Squall leapt back and twirled his gunblade before rushing forward, deflecting each and every dagger that came his way in a brilliant display of dead on precision that even made Ultimecia's heart skip a beat, but the weight of death was upon her far too quickly for her to find appreciation in the mercenary's dexterity. The black lion's eyes sharpened upon her like a cross-hair lining her up in its sights and he made to thrust his blade into her breast, but just as the tip of his gunblade made to draw blood, time came to a sudden complete halt and Ultimecia's assailant had become an unmovable form along the taut threads of time.

"Like a child, so easily taken in." The time mistress walked around the service end of his gunblade and made her way to his side, bringing a finger to his chin to stroke it. "But I wonder if you understand this obsession yourself."

_"You can only bind me for so long."_ Ultimecia's lips curled at the sound of her nemesis' voice, traveling across time and space to reach her.

"Squall, do you even understand why you're drawn to me?"

_"Because you're my enemy."_

"And yet there was a time when you knelt before me." The witch's words brought pause to the dark mercenary, just long enough for her to continue. "You wouldn't remember, of course. Your memories are lost to you, but I can recall those days all too well; days when you and I stood side by side as allies and much more."

_"Don't make me laugh. As if I would ever be your knight."_

"Indeed, you were once my knight as a warrior of Chaos."

_"I refuse to believe that." _Ultimecia felt ripples of resistance shiver forth from the lion's frozen form and she smiled, draping her arms around his shoulders to bring her lips to his left ear.

"And yet you are uncertain, because you are unsure of even who you truly are." Her voice fell to a whisper, smooth like the silkiest of dark creme. "Do you know why your friends fret when you travel alone, my dark knight? It is because they know you will inevitably find yourself drawn back to me. It is because fate ensures that we are always together, that our paths are eternally crossed."

_"I know who I am. I don't need to be given my identity by a witch such as yourself."_

"You were so wonderful, Squall." Ultimecia continued to talk to him, ignoring his denial. "The way you struck down the warriors of Cosmos that came my way one by one...until you met her."

_"...I've had enough."_

"Return to my side, Squall." His foe persisted in her advance despite his protests. "Be my knight once more, be my knight as you've always been."

_"I'm not bound to you, Ultimecia."_ Squall growled at her in a voice as dark as night. _"And just as I'm not bound by your shadow, I won't be bound by your law!" _With that declaration something extraordinary began to take place, and the mistress backed away from him as his form began to pulse against the stillness that held him in place. _"Your mastery over time itself won't grant you mastery over me!" _And with one push of will alone, Squall Leonhart broke free from the shackles of time in a brilliant explosion of light, and when it cleared, when Ultimecia could finally face him in all of his stubborn glory–she found him flat on his face.

"Wh...What the?" Squall pushed himself up from the ground and looked to his right hand. "Huh?" He found the gunblade to be too large for him to grasp. "What the?" That's when something else became apparent to him. "What the?" And he repeated himself again because he knew something was wrong, but it was almost too surreal to sink in properly. He stood up (_which didn't get him as high up as he expected, a small part of him noted absently_) and turned around to face Ultimecia to find that she was much taller than usual. This feeling...it was like looking up at a giant.

"What did you–" There was that weird voice again, the voice of a child. Where was it coming fro–...no...no way. "This isn't happening." Squall looked down at himself. The clothes matched for some reason, but his body was clearly that of a child, and he had the vocal chords to match, apparently. He turned his attention back to Ultimecia who had the weirdest look on her face. He'd never seen that expression on her before, but now wasn't the time to think about that. All he could do now was face the consequences that were coming his way. "Do your worst woman."

"...R-Really?" The witch asked, restraining herself for some reason. "Is that an...invitation?"

"Don't play games with me!" Squall cried out in his pathetic voice. "YAAAAAAH!" And he charged at her, swinging his arms viciously only to meet–

**_...J~I~G~G~L~E..._**

–Ultimecia's chest from the looks of it.

"Oh my!" Ultimecia ensnared the little boy in her arms and lifted him off the ground while he squirmed in her hold. "You're so small and helpless!" Her expression became somewhat dangerous for a grown woman in this particular situation. "I think I could get used to this."

"Unhand me!" Is what Squall wanted to say, but since his face was currently buried in her generous bosom...well...which is why it was a good thing that someone else said it for him.

**_"LET GO OF HIM!" _**Make that more than someone.

"What the?" Ultimecia whipped around to find a hunting party consisting of Lightning, Tifa, Prishe, and Yuna standing behind her with their weapons poised for action, most noticeably Lightning whose blade appeared ever ready to run her through. "Where were you women hiding all this time?"

"That's not important!" Tifa denied the witch an answer, reaching up to wipe a suspicious trickle of blood from her nose as she continued, "Hand over Squall and we'll let you leave with your life."

"Set him down." Lightning ordered in near monotone. "Right now."

"Towards me, preferably." Yuna suggested.

"Or I'll just go over there and take him from you instead!" Prishe offered, a menacing smile present on her face.

"He's mine you bunch of harlots–" Ultimecia was cut off by a quick shot from Lightning, who made sure to let the bullet whiz by as close to the witch's ear as possible without blowing her head off.

Directing her aim closer to Ultimecia's forehead, Lightning spoke again, "Right...now." The second time seemed to get the message through since the woman lowered Squall to the ground and stepped back a few paces away from him. With that out of the way the L'Cie kept her gun trained on the witch with a final order. "Now, run back to your castle."

Ultimecia sneered back at the women, Lightning in particular, and did as she was told, but not without a parting line of– "Tramps!"

When the sorceress had taken her leave, disappearing in a wink of light, the women rushed over to Squall, crowding around him far too closely for his own comfort.

"Are you hurt, Squall?" Yuna asked, drawing her face close.

"Did she touch you anywhere?" Tifa inquired aggressively, pressing her face against the summoner's to move her aside.

"Can I touch your hair?" Prishe pleaded insistently, butting in between the two women effortlessly with her superhuman strength.

"This isn't permanent, is it?" Lightning asked, kneeling down to the side of him with a strangely calm expression. "This could cause _problems_ if it is."

Squall massed the back of his neck awkwardly at the implication and replied, "Probably not. We should get back and see what Cosmos makes of it, though."

"Well enough." Lightning said with a nod before placing a hand on his head with a mischievous smirk privy only to his eyes. "But until then, you'll be addressing me as big sis."

Squall turned to his left when Tifa place a hand on his shoulder. "Oh, me too, me too!"

Yuna bumped the martial artist aside with a ram of her shoulder, placing her hand on his shoulder in Tifa's place with a slight squeeze. "J-Just call me Yunie!"

Squall felt chills run up his back when Prishe wrapped her arms around him from behind, nuzzling his cheek a little too affectionately. "And you can call me whatever you want."

The child mercenary brought his palm to his forehead and sighed. "I just wanna call it a day."

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><p><strong><em>END<em>**

* * *

><p><span>OMAKE:<span> ~**_When the Chocobos Cry~_**

Lady Ultimecia stroked Squall's chin as he remained still in mid-air, bound by the taut threads of time.

"There was a time when you were my knight, Squall!" The witch cackled, drawing her hand back before she walked away, whipping around with her hands held up in triumph. "And you struck down your so called friends as a warrior of chaos!"

Squall Leonhart squirmed against the shackles of time, grunting in pain as he fought against it. "I won't believe your words, Ultimecia! I won't believe your lies!"

"Lies?" The witch echoed him amusedly. "**_[~Ahaha .wav~] _**There's only one way to find out, isn't there? Or are you too afraid to demand it of me?"

"Fine!" Squall narrowed his eyes at the witch of time compression viciously. "Repeat in red! _'Squall Leonhart was once an ally of the witch Ultimecia'_!"

...

...

_"Uuuu– Ultimecia does exist–uuuu!" _Onion Knight cried out insolently, pointing stubbornly at the portrait of the witch behind him. The others watched on silently when a hiss of frustration escaped Terra Branford's lips before she slowly stalked toward the raucous child like a grand serpent preparing to swallow a helpless mouse.

Terra towered over Onion Knight with a stone cold stare, forcing the child to cower in fear. "How many times have I told you not to go 'Uuuuu'?"

_"Uuuuu–but she does exist–uuuuuu!"_

"THAT'S IT!" Terra reared her right hand back and let it fly, cracking across the child's face in an act of unbridled fury. "WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME? I KEEP TELLING YOU TO STOP SAYING 'UUUU'!"


	3. The One Who Follows

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters..._

**_Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices_**

**_CHAPTER THREE_**

_By Traingham_

**_A.N/_**_ And they mean it, too..._

* * *

><p>Tifa Lockhart was feeling a little forlorn on this particular day, watching the rest of the warriors of Cosmos from afar as they made their introductions to the newest member of the group. The newcomer just seemed to get along with just about everyone naturally, charming them almost immediately with her delicate looks, pleasing physical features, and that oh-so captivating smile that could hold the eyes for as long as it remained on her lovely face. Of course, when one said just about everyone, one meant to say almost all of the men that made up the group, including the ever stoic Warrior of Light whose usual bouts of paranoia weren't tingling today in the presence of the new warrior. The remainder of the warriors of Cosmos, those being the lovely women that made up the group, were watching along with Tifa, but they weren't sharing the exact same sentiments that the martial artist was, seeing Aerith Gainsborough effortlessly capture the hearts of their male counterparts.<p>

Yuna was the first to offer her personal feelings regarding the flower girl, drawing the attention of the other women sitting with her. "This _'Aerith'_ girl seems like a very nice person." The summoner spoke of the pink clad woman the same way she would have, a strange unidentified life form. Her observation was met with responses ranging from half-hearted grumbles to silent nods, and a roll of the eyes from Tifa Lockheart, though that last one was harder for Yuna to pick up than the other two as she turned her head right and left for obvious reasons.

_**...**_

Firion walked up to Aerith with a friendly smile. "You're the new girl, right?" The former resistance soldier asked awkwardly, twirling his rose in his left hand out of nervous habit. "My name is Firion. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The flower girl returned the smile, dazzling him with her pearly whites, though her eyes strayed from his face, seemingly more interested in the flower he was twirling. "Oh, you like flowers, I take it?" She asked him, returning her gaze to his handsome face.

"Oh yes." He answered her without reserve, holding up his rose so she could get a closer look at it. "Well, my rose anyway."

"I see!" Aerith giggled before she cupped her hands and held them out to him.

"What's this?" The man quirked a brow curiously, just as a glimmer of light gathered at her palms. "Hm?"

"Here you are." And at her words the light took form, blossoming into a bouquet of red roses quite similar to his single rose in every way. She pushed the bouquet into his arms with another smile and walked away from him, leaving him there to blink at his unexpected gift.

"Um...thanks." Firion said in a low voice, staring at her back as she got farther away from him. "I guess my rose really isn't all that unique...after all."

_**...**_

"Cloud seems awfully anxious to speak with her." Terra observed, drawing the eyes of her fellow women when she decided to chime in her own thoughts. She pointed to the blonde SOLDIER who appeared to be debating with himself on whether to approach Aerith while she was in the middle of acquainting herself with the other men, or to stay put and wait for his chance. Judging from how he was tapping his foot so hard the ground beneath him began to crack, Cloud was looking to be very impatient. "Could she be someone he knows?" The eyes of the half-esper swiveled to the martial artist sitting at the opposite end of the row. "Huh, Tifa?"

Tifa shook her head, resting her chin on an open palm after she did. "I'm not sure to be honest, but I'll admit that something is familiar about that girl."

"He must know something about her." Lightning finally spoke, drawing eyes to herself. "That guy normally shows no interest in anyone save for that long-haired swordsman from the other side."

"Very true." Shanttoto began in her melodic voice, turning an eye upon Tifa when she did. "He hardly speaks to you. Not a a shred of mind does he offer to you at any time, and yet this newcomer excites him."

Tifa grinned with sarcasm. "Yes, thank you _sooo_ much for reminding me."

"Looks like the mime is next." Prishe announced, quieting the banter.

_**...**_

"Oh, hi!" Bartz greeted the pink-ribboned brunette with his usual energy. "Everyone really seems to like you."

"Thank you." She giggled at his straight-forward approach. "And you are?"

"My name is, Bartz!" The mime introduced himself with a mock bow. "A traveler of the never ending road, and a disciple to the world around me." He spoke in a proud voice, chuckling when he was done. "Or something like that."

"A traveler, hm?" Aerith mused, staring at him with mild interest. "So that must mean you're not very good at handling long term relationships, right?"

Bartz blinked, "Um, what?"

"That might not mean well for your love life." The flower girl explained to him before smiling brilliantly with a final jab. "I guess the best friend you could ask for is a chocobo, right?"

"...I'm not gonna say you're right, but..." The mime found himself at a loss for some reason.

_**...**_

"I wonder what she said to him." Prishe thought aloud, watching Bartz hold up a finger as if he wanted to say more to the girl walking away from him, but making no attempt to pursue her. "I guess she really makes an impression on ya."

"Sure seems that way." Yuna concurred, perking up when something caught her eye. "Oh wait, it looks like she's planning on meeting Squall next!" The summoner exclaimed, pointing to the black lion that appeared more interested in the reflection of his face on his gunblade than anything else that was taking place. "I wonder why he's staring at himself..."

"Perhaps he's a narcissist?" Shantotto offered bluntly.

"...Um, no." Terra responded, narrowing her eyes to get a better look at what the SeeD commander was doing. "It looks more like he's getting a look at what's behind him."

"You're right." Lightning noted when the black clad gentleman shifted the side of his blade away from his face and began walking away from the woman approaching behind him. "Now that you mention it, he's been angling it at the new girl for a while."

"Trying to get a peek at her without drawing attention to himself?" Prishe suggested.

"No..." Yuna shot it down. "He's...avoiding her." Her words seemed to hold water since the commander appeared to go right whenever Aerith went left, weaving around the other men to shake Aerith off his back whenever she appeared to gain on him. "Squall is actively trying to avoid her...but why?"

"That is pretty weird." Tifa said with a hint of mirth in her voice. "I mean, he is kind of anti-social, but I've never seen him actually run away from someone."

"Uh-oh." Prishe exclaimed, although from the sound of her voice she looked to be enjoying the game of cat and mouse between the lion and the flower girl. "She's starting to pick up the pace a bit."

"Pretty determined to meet him, isn't she?" Lightning observed. "This is starting to feel suspicious."

"Dead end." Terra reported to the others when Zidane stopped Squall to speak with him, effectively slowing him down long enough for Aerith to catch up to him. The women, including the sergeant herself couldn't help, but chuckle when the black lion brought his palm to his forehead in his immediately recognizable expression for irritation. Zidane picked it up too, flinching when he caught it and walking away sheepishly after Squall got done answering whatever question he had asked him.

"Now, let's see what happens." Tifa remarked anxiously.

**_..._**

"Hello there!" Aerith greeted Squall in a clear voice, however, he appeared ever so reluctant to reply, keeping his back to her. "I know you can hear me."

The commander finally turned to meet her eyes with gruff reply of, "That obvious?"

"Do you always treat people like this when they want to talk to you?"

"Normally." He answered her without reserve. "Although I'm actively trying to brush you off."

"Why is that?" For some reason she didn't seem to be getting the hint and it was beginning to bother him. "Am I a special case?"

"You could say that." Squall replied, crossing his arms. "I'm getting strange vibes from you."

"Strange?"

"Familiar." He clarified for her. "Not in a good way."

"You're always so blunt, but that's what I've always liked about you."

Squall raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what?"

"It took me a little while to figure out why you kept drawing my attention when I first saw you, but now I remember clearly after getting you to speak with me."

"I kept drawing your attention?" The black lion stared at her funny. "Why me?"

_She smiled, that damn smile that made his spine tingle. Wait, why did he remember this smile?_

"I knew I'd find you again, Instructor Leonhart."

_**...Oh, that's why...**_

* * *

><p><strong><em>END<em>**

* * *

><p><em>The camera gets a close up of Shiva and Siren sitting side by side at a reporters table, staring at the readers with what could be considered abject horror.<em>

__"Siren..." Shiva turns to her co-host as she addresses her in an unsure tone.__

__"...Yes, Shiva?" Siren responds in a similar tone. __

__"Did you just see what I saw?" The ice queen questions, pointing at the freeze frame of Squall and Aerith behind them. "Because–"__

__"Oh, you don't have to tell me." Siren cuts her off.__

__The two lovely guardian forces turn to stare at the readers.__

**__"Holy shit."__**

* * *

><p><strong><em><em>[ END TRANSMISSION]<em>_**


	4. Hard Earned Rewards

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters..._

**_Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices_**

**_CHAPTER FOUR_**

_By Traingham_

**_A.N/_**_ Poetically, of course..._

* * *

><p>Terra Branford lingered near the edge of the smooth crater that she was camping out in with Squall and Prishe, staring out beyond the ruins of a long abandoned castle below, near the base of the crater. Sanctuary was a long ways and the sun was sinking into the horizon at an alarming rate, marking the abrupt end of their travels and the beginning of a long night. After getting a tip from Bartz and Zidane, <em>resident explorers of the warriors of Cosmos<em>, Prishe convinced Squall Leonhart to accompany her to an area near the Crescent Lake where the two explorers reported the sighting of a scarletite deposit waiting to be excavated by some bold risk takers. Squall, seeing an opportunity to hide away from the ever watchful eyes of Aerith Gainsborough, as well as a way of cutting out the moogles scarletite expenses from his weapon remodeling _(As well as Lightning's...long story)_, decided to tag along with the Elvaan warrior on her journey without presenting his usual resistance much to her personal relief. Terra invited herself along, claiming that she would be of great use to their plans, but in Prishe's opinion she did nothing more than watch with bated breath as the muscles in the black lion's back rippled under the exertion of a hard days work.

"We made out well, though, huh?" Prishe asked her excavating partner with a wide grin, patting the lumpy sack of scarletite sitting between her and the man in question. "Really, all that we need now is a beer to end the night."

"I'll take the first shift for night watch." Squall announced with a straight face on a completely unrelated note, getting Prishe's shoulders to sag. "You should get some sleep." He looked to the rim of the crater to see Terra still standing there with her attention drawn somewhere in the distance. "Terra!"

"Hm?" The half esper looked over her shoulder, her blonde hair bouncing lightly when she did. "Curfew?"

"Get some sleep." The black lion told her. "Sanctuary will hold on without us for a night, so stop worrying about the others." His words got through to her, having her drop her hand from its usual place clutched to her chest and drawing her down from the edge. Terra approached her two partners and stopped in front of them with an inquisitive stare. She swiveled her eyes between Prishe and Squall for a moment, allowing her gaze to linger on the empty space to Squall's right side while biting her lip as though the temptation was almost too painful to refuse, but eventually decided upon taking her place beside Prishe, dropping down beside her and sitting up against the inner wall of the crater.

Prishe, apparently not in the mood to close her eyes just yet, continued with her earlier line of thought. "With these materials we're going to have an edge against those flamboyant bastards!" She rubbed her hands together while a sinister laugh rumbled from deep within her stomach. "I can't wait to see our new toys."

"Calm down before you blow out a fuse." Squall told her, with the slightest hint of humor in his voice. "Get to sleep. You're getting the last shift."

"Fine, dammit, but I can't get any sleep on this floor!" She argued, glaring at the rough and uneven earth that stretched out to the other side of the crater. She returned her gaze back to Squall, her eyes zeroing in specifically around his chest area, and rose up from her seat to stand in front of him with her arms crossed.

"What?" The SeeD questioned the look she was directing at him.

"Your lap seems like a better choice." Prishe replied, giving her back to him before lowering her behind onto his lap and laying against his chest. She crossed her hands to grab at the sides of his jacket and pulled it around her, squirming against him all the while to settle herself in. "Yeeaaah, much better."

"Seriously?" The brunette sighed.

"You need to appreciate things like this, you know." The Elvaan told him, looking up at him as he stared down into her eyes. "I've never sat on anyone's lap before, so consider yourself my first."

"I'm honored." Sarcasm, of course, but for some reason she could detect warmth.

"You try too hard." Prishe spoke with a light yawn in her voice. She turned to her side on his lap while she curled her legs, drawing his jacket over herself tightly as she rested the side of her head against his pectorals. "Don't deny yourself the warmth of friends, Squall." she snuggled her head against him. "Even if this does end someday, I want you to have fond memories of us...of me."

"...Whatever." The black lion grumbled to himself in a low voice, too low for her to hear, but she smiled to herself all the same when she felt his right arm wrap around her. "Stop talking and get to sleep."

Prishe grumbled back in her sleep, but it was too low for him to pick up with his ears so he said nothing in response. He turned his head toward Terra to see her curled up like a cat although, even he would have to admit, it looked a little uncomfortable.

"You know..." Squall blinked when the Elvaan's voice reached his ears again, drawing his attention to her. "I could die in your embrace tonight and I'd be too content to complain about it."

**_..._**

**_..._**

A private smirk made its way across the dark mercenary's lips as he stared out into the falling darkness, and he responded after a long silence. "Then let me be your grave tonight, Prishe." He brought his other hand to rest upon her head, stroking it until he felt her go completely limp in his chest. "I'll wake you in the morning."

It was at that moment that he felt a pressure against the side of his thigh.

"Hm?" He looked down to his left side to find Terra curled up against him, resting the side of her head against his upper thigh. She must have moved over to him while he had his eyes to the stars.

_"Sure, I'll wake you too."_

* * *

><p><strong><em>END<em>**


	5. The Stand in

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters..._

**_Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices_**

**_CHAPTER FIVE_**

_By Traingham_

**_A.N/_**_ Wanna waltz for the moon?_

* * *

><p><em>Zidane Tribal stops humming when he notices Squall Leonhart's eyes on him from his peripheral view. <em>"Yeah? Something on your mind, Squall?"

"You hum that melody all the time." _Squall tells him, interest laced in his words. _"Have you regained some of your memories?"

_The genome laughs sheepishly, his expression giving away the answer before he opens his mouth. _"It's embarrassing, but...no." _Zidane crosses his legs, turning at the waist to regard his black clad companion. _"But whenever I hum it to myself...I feel like I can find my way home."

"...Home, huh?" _Squall muses softly, staring far off into the distance. _

_Zidane nods thoughtfully. _"Yeah. A place to call home."

_**...**_

_**...**_

Squall stared down at his reflection in the water from his seat at the edge of the pond. "Music...music that ties travelers to their home." The black lion mumbled to himself in a light voice, almost as if he was day dreaming. "Irritating. I guess I'm not the only one with a melody stuck in their head, but no clues to back it up." And it was so maddening whenever he caught himself humming along with the melody that had made itself a permanent resident in his mind. It intruded without notice one night and the following sunrise the dark mercenary found that he simply could not shake it away, regardless of how hard he tried to expel it from his thoughts.

"Hm-Hm-hm-hm-hm-hmmm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hmmm." The black lion began the melody to "_Waltz for the Moon_" in his baritone hum, closing his eyes to make an attempt at visualizing something in his head as he did. His humming cut off abruptly when the realization dawned on him. "This melody..." He furrowed his brow, opening his eyes. "...it sounds like a waltz composition." His posture gradually sank until he was hunched over, his hair overshadowing his eyes in such a way that he painted the very image of a menacing school delinquent at the moment. "Which means I have to dance this with someone, or my answers stop here." _But who is going to dance to a waltz with me that they can't hear? No, scratch that, who the hell is going to dance with me, period? Wrong, why the hell would I put myself through this anyway?_

"Reflecting?" He straightened out his back and looked over his shoulder when Lightning's voice spoke to him. The black lion almost wanted to curse the sergeant's convenient timing, watching her approach him with her usual swagger _(He didn't seem to take note of the way her hand rested on her blazefire)_; the sway of her perfectly curved hips with every step of her strong, sculpted legs. Indeed, Lightning had the form of a dancer with the way she moved in combat and the way she walked, but there was just one question, and one question only__–__

"Hey, Light..." Squall began, standing up from the dew speckled blades of grass.

"Yeah?" The pinkette responded, raising an eyebrow at the oddly reserved tone in his voice. Her hand discreetly fell from her weapon, finding itself resting at her side awkwardly.

"Would you dance with me?" He came right out with it.

Lightning blinked. "_What_?"

**_..._**

"You've done this before?" Squall inquired of the L'Cie, assuming a waltzing stance with her. He took her right hand into his left, holding it in the upward position, and rested his right hand just below her shoulder blade. His question brought some hesitation to Lightning, her eyes averting for a brief moment as her mind cranked for a response.

In the end she settled for__–__"I don't remember." said calmly, though her initial reaction blundered the image she was trying to maintain in front of her partner. "How should I hold you with my left hand?"

"Rest your hand on my shoulder." Squall advised her, glancing at his own shoulder for emphasis. "You can just relax your arm on mine, but don't relax too much. Our arms need to remain firm enough to prevent any break of contact while we dance."

"Fine." She nodded, doing her best to keep a straight face through his instructions in spite of how strange it was for her to be receiving them from him, of all people. "And now what?"

Squall cleared his throat, entering a side of himself he never realized he had in him...although it always tickled the back of his mind whenever that flower girl spoke to him. "Alright then...I'll lead."

"Please do." The sergeant replied, her sarcasm good in nature.

_"1."_ He started the box step with her, moving his right foot back__–"2." __Bringing his left foot to join his right just briefly before__–"3." __bringing it to rest at a shoulder's width across from his right. He met Lightning's eyes to check if she was lost on it, but she appeared confident enough. "Good." He told her with a nod. "And..._1,2,3...__" forward__–"1,2,3..."__–back__–"1,2,3..." _________They began to move in a larger box formation, moving clumsily, but managing to avoid any missteps. Squall brought them into a swing and sway, easing Lightning in gradually so they wouldn't stumble into each other, and gently led her into an underarm turn, holding his arm over her so she could pass underneath it with a slow box step.

_They stopped._

"Hmm." Squall's expression implied that something more was going through is head now.

"What?"

"That wasn't right." He assumed the starting position with her again. "Let's try this." And they went into the box step once more, only this time he kept to the regular box motion. He drew away from her, holding his right arm in the air when he did, and Lightning imitated his movement, albeit, unsteadily. "Hm." Squall let go of her other hand, getting a flicker of disappointment from her eyes, but she said nothing to him, only crossing her arms in wait of an explanation. "Maybe I'm going in over my head with this."

"You're not thinking of quitting are you?" The pinkette stopped him before he could even think of ending their little waltzing experiment. "You got me into this," Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "...so don't waste my time."

"You want to continue?" The black lion almost sounded surprised, almost.

"It's too late to ask that question." She retorted, though her posture began to exude discomfort as she continued, "You're doing this because of a memory, aren't you?" She detected shame in his eyes after posing her question. He probably just realized that he may have been using her.

But he answered her honestly anyway. "That's right."

"I see." The sergeant mused, dropping her arms at her sides, thinking of how to approach with her next question, but it was all too awkward. If she asked him _that_ then there was no telling where the direction of their conversation might go, and uncertainty never sat well with her. She didn't want to enter territory that she wasn't prepared for, not yet.

"Whatever." Her response perked him up, drawing his full attention back to her. "Let's keep dancing."

Squall met her eyes in silence for a moment before he nodded his head. "Yeah, let's do that." And he made to approach her, holding out his hand, but the pinkette suddenly flinched, looking to the side as though something within the trees alerted her. Squall was quick to inquire about it with a, "What is it? Did you sense one of your fakes?"

"N-No, nothing like that." Lightning calmed him with a lowering gesture of her right hand, but something about her response bothered him. She made her move before he could make his, however. "Wait right here." She began walking away from him toward the edge of the forest that surrounded the pond. "I'll be right back."

"...Sure." Squall replied after she disappeared into the curtain of leaves and branches. Strangely enough, just as she disappeared into the forest to his left the branches behind him began to shiver from movement. "I thought so..." The commander said to himself in a low voice, turning around just in time to see Yuna and Lightning step free from the trappings of the botanical prison. The two women looked as though they had come running the entire way to meet him, judging by their breathing and body language. Lightning had minor bruises and cuts on her exposed arms from running through branches and bushes.

The sergeant approached him quickly with a question of, "The witch approached you, didn't she?"

"I knew you weren't the type to dance." He replied casually.

Lightning stared at him blankly for a moment before she realized what he was talking about. "That woman really is a witch."

* * *

><p><em><strong>END<strong>_


	6. In Treatment

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters..._

**_Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices_**

**_CHAPTER SIX_**

_By Traingham_

**_A.N/_**_ Because you can't taste pleasure without..._

* * *

><p>Squall Leonhart shuffled into his tent with a low sigh, shrugging off his jacket and dropping it onto his sleeping bag. There were specks of blood on the normally pristine white fur that lined the neck area, something that the black lion took note of before he reached down to peel his torn shirt off of his lean body. That <em>Imaginary Champion<em> didn't go down nearly as easily as he had hoped for, but that was natural he supposed. As close as they were to Chaos' territory it was expected that the manikins would be of a different world entirely from the sort that roamed the lands of Cosmos, and they certainly did not fall short of the expectations that he had for them.

"Those moogles..." The SeeD commander grumbled, tracing a finger gingerly against the bleeding cuts that marked his abdomen and biceps. He'd come to blows twice already with Sephiroth in the past and it never got easier, that much was for sure _(what with all the 'god speed' slashes and etc.)._ Coming across one of his fakes was just the way he needed to end his night, exhausted and hurting all over. He could understand why Cloud's dark moods could endure for so long whenever the SOLDIER returned to Sanctuary after coming across the long haired swordsman in his travels. That aside, _the moogles_– __"...you'd figure that they would be easier on the trades for their wares and equipments, especially since we're the ones on their side."

Realizing that he was talking to himself out loud, he sighed again. _Bartz and Zidane's quirks are beginning to rub off on me. That's no good._

"Evening, home slice." Squall turned at the waist when he heard Tifa's good natured voice greet him to find her poking her head in between the flaps of the tent. She formed an _'O' _with her perfectly curved lips upon finding him in his lack of modesty, and formed them into a grin that frankly didn't mean well for him. "Got into a scuffle while you were out there on your lonesome, Squall?" Her eyes scrutinized him when he turned around to face her completely. "Whew, you lost weight."

"It's not like I'm missing a chunk of myself." He responded just short of curtly, if only for his own pride. "Just a few scratches, that's all."

"Well, that's what potions are for, huh." The martial artist commented off handedly, eyes rolling to the side suspiciously.

Squall blinked, realizing something at that moment. "Where's Lightning?"

Tifa perked up at his inquiry. "Oh, she's out on the hunt with Prishe. She said she'll be back in a few minutes with our dinner."

"Dammit...she has all of our potions." The Lion muttered to himself quietly, but no quiet enough to escape Tifa's ears apparently.

"_Our potions,_ huh?" She echoed him with beady eyes before smiling like a cat. "What's that about?"

"Lightning keeps stock of our potions." He answered her without hesitation. "We're partners."

Tifa nodded her head a few times as if taking a moment to process his reply before asking, "Yeah, what _is_ that about, anyway?"

"Hm?" Squall raised a brow ever so slightly.

"Why do you only partner up with her?"

He remained silent for a moment before shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "What about it?"

"Just curious, that's all." She replied, shrugging her shoulders back at him. "Always exploring together, sharing stuff, you know, all of that stuff that goes against the whole lone wolf code that you two have going on."

"I've gone on exploration with Prishe and Terra before__–"__

_"Not me."_

"What?" The commander narrowed his eyes curiously when she muttered something, but the better part of his instincts told him to ignore it, so before she could repeat herself he cut in with__–__ "Anyway, Lightning should be at the camp fire when she comes back, right? I'll wait for her there." He made for the tent flaps to exit, but the rest of Tifa's body followed in with her head, effectively blocking his way out. She had something blue and luminescent in her right hand.

"I've got a potion right here." She held it up for him to see. "I'll apply it right now, so__–"__

"That's fine." Squall turned her down before she could finish propositioning him. "Lightning should be here soon."

"Why wait for her to come back?" Tifa puffed out her chest indignantly. "I could treat you right now."

"You don't have to, that's from your own stock."

"Geez, it's not like I'm charging you for this." The martial artist retorted, placing her other hand on top of the potion cork to remove it, but Squall placed his hand over hers to stop her from opening it. She raised her head to stare him in the eyes questioningly with a__– __"What?"

"I said it's fine." His eyes held her there stiffly, but she remained defiant toward his rejection.

"Look, bro." She said with a slight hint of agitation in her voice as she emphasized the word _bro._ "You're not waiting out there with those nasty cuts for Lightning to return with your _precious_ stock of potions. The salt water breeze out there is going to hurt like hell, kay? So__–" __She swatted his hand off of her own with surprising force, knocking his hand back into his chest. "–Stay still and let me apply this on you." Despite the tone of her voice, her eyes were drinking in his abs a little too appreciatively. She popped off the cork and tilted the potion bottle over her hand to get some pooling in her palm.

"Tifa..." Squall growled.

"...Let's do this!" And she rushed in, backing him into the corner of the tent. "I said stay still!" She slapped her hand onto his stomach and the man winced reflexively to the sudden stinging sensation that accompanied her forceful application.

"!" The lion could only stare back at her intensely as she continued to rub the scars on his stomach, a tear building at the corner of his left eye as his fingers curled and tensed to resist the pain. "...Grtn..." He grunted through his teeth, drawing a smirk from the martial artist as she rubbed harder.

"Feeling better now, right?" She asked melodically, rubbing with a newfound fervor upon seeing the expression on his face. "Just endure this a little longer, alright? It'll be over soon."

"Are you treating me, or waxing me?" Squall snapped, wincing against the pain of her quick circular motions. _Dammit, dammit, dammit._

"Hey buddy, are you going to work with me or what?" She quipped, moving her hand to his left side. "I'm doing this as delicately as I can, alright?"

"Delicately?" Squall couldn't believe what he just heard. "...Urgh..." But resisting any further was going to be fruitless by the look of things. "...Whatever..." He managed to get out before he lost his balance from Tifa pressing her hand harder against him. He fell backwards being caught by the suspension of the tent fabric much to his relief until Tifa fell forward into him, smashing onto him with her own weight and having them tear through the back end of the tent in the process with a loud rip.

"...Ow." Squall muttered dully, eyes to the stars in the sky as Tifa scrambled against him to get off with a _'Sorry, sorry, sorry!'_, agitating his wounds with her erratic movement. His senses told him that they were being watched, so he let his head fall to the side to find two pairs of legs standing just a short distance from him and the martial artist; One pair belonging to a Lightning Farron who had such a look in her eyes that told him that she wanted to try and make sense of his predicament, yet was too tired to put in the effort and brain power. Prishe just grinned wildly in her usual disposition upon seeing him.

"Wanna share with the class, _schoolboy?"_

"**_Treatment_**." Squall and Tifa answered in unison.

* * *

><p><strong><em>END<em>**

* * *

><p><em>Actually, this chapter was supposed to be about Squall and Prishe fishing for tonight's dinner, but the amount of detail I'd have to write in for an epic fishing battle against a hydra would have gone far beyond the drabble limit (Well, much farther than I already push the limit) so it's either been canceled, or postponed for a future chapter. Seriously, I've been stuck on that idea for so long that it's been torture. Between power walking across the campus to classes with the usual bunch of fellow university students (All chanting "We're never gonna make it in time, we're never gonna make it in time. Yeah, we're too lazy to run.) and working at the UPS with a bunch of sailors (well, they're not really sailors, but they sure curse like em') all I could think about was Squall and Prishe sitting on that boat with fishing rods in their hands. Prishe would be talking about how the fish would be seasoned and Squall would just listen on, grunting at random points bored out of his mind.<em>

_Yeah...they're gonna go fishing one day._

_Lightning too..._

_...And Tidus acting as the bait..._

_...Maybe Aerith stalking Squall out in the open on a boat two meters away from his boat..._

_...with Cloud stalking Aerith in another boat hidden behind a reef..._

_...Ultimecia disguised as Aerith..._

_...Hmm..._

_...Nah, this idea is officially scrapped..._

_...officially under reconstruction...maybe..._


	7. Conjunction

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters..._

**_Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices_**

**_CHAPTER SEVEN_**

_By Traingham_

**_A.N/_**_ Exclusive rights to Shiva...well, not anymore..._

_**A.N II/ **Okay, this is technically two drabbles and a side show._

_**A.N III/ **...Three drabbles...maybe. You know, just have fun with it._

_**A.N IV/ **WHY DO I SUCK AT THIS DRABBLE BUSINESS?  
><em>

* * *

><p>It could hurt so bad sometimes, but it was <em>so<em> delicious.

It was almost comical how pain and pleasure often went together, but that wasn't the subject on Squall's mind as he gripped his forehead in the midst of a pounding brain freeze. No, all he could really think about was how perfect Shiva's snow cones were; the taste and the texture of the shaved ice as he rolled it around his tongue. Of course, he had to purchase the syrups and the snow cone maker _(Moogles...who knew?) _himself, but his lovely ice goddess was the only one who could really make moments like the one he was having now possible, and she was oh so very well aware of his appreciation. After all, the bond they shared with one another was so deep and powerful that their thoughts were as clear to each other as the swooning notes of a harp. Such was the connection that Shiva treasured with her black lion, and in this new world, so distant and disconnected from their home world, she could savor it without the intrusion of that instructor and her harpy, or that eye patched woman, or that elite instructor, or that Trabian girl, or treasure huntress, or mute doll maker, or kunoichi, or pyromaniac, or alexandrian knight, or–

"Shiva?" Squall's voice brought the ice goddess out of her disdain. She was brought back to her sweet moment with her contractor, sitting upon a cliff side overlooking a beach, partaking in the simple pleasure of snow cones.

"Yes, Squall?" The cold queen asked gently, adjusting the angle that she was holding her snow cone upon realizing that her syrup had been dripping off the side during her contemplation.

The dark mercenary regarded her with a look of worry that she reveled in knowing was reserved for her alone. "Your thoughts were kind of moody just now."

Sometimes she didn't like how easily he could read her. "Don't mind it." She told him with a small smile. "I was just reflecting over our situation."

"We'll get back home someday." Squall assured her. "You can rely on me."

"Likewise." She replied with a hint of mirth before scooping some mango flavored frost into her mouth with her blue tongue, all the while thinking to herself__–___ Oh, but I'm in no rush to leave, my dearest lion. If we could remain here together forever then I would not be averse to our situation in the slightest. _Until__–__

"Squall?" A voice spoke unexpectedly from right beside them, drawing their attention to a floating Terra Branford who was staring at the dark mercenary like she had just found her best friend. "S-So this is where you've been!" She exclaimed in a slightly nervous tone, likely unaccustomed to speaking so casually with Squall. She set her sights on Shiva, eyes going wide with rising excitement, and she extended a hand out to the lovely guardian force in a fashion fit for a fan meeting their most admired idol on the red carpet. "Shiva!" She cried out excitedly, squeezing her eyes tightly shut when she did. "I'm so honored to finally meet you in person! You must be the incarnation from Squall's world, right?"

"Y-yes, I am." Shiva accepted the half-esper's trembling hand when she shoved it directly in her face. _Oh dear, who is this girl...she seems very dangerous._

Terra snatched her hand back quickly, shaking it with a nervous giggle. "O-ooh, cold." She said in a small voice before pointing to the spot between Shiva and Squall. "Do you mind if I join you guys?"

_Yes, we do mind! Private time, you know._The ice goddess inwardly protested, but____–____

"Have a seat." Squall motioned to where she pointed and the half-esper nodded happily before she claimed her seat, never taking notice of the dangerous quality in Shiva's piercing stare when she did. "Want a snow cone?" The commander offered her, his words not quite matching the usual mask of stoicism on his face.

_But Squall! Those are OURS__–___

"I'd be delighted!" Terra accepted politely, and he looked to his beloved guardian.

Shiva found that she couldn't refuse him whenever he stared at her with those blue eyes, so she grudgingly submitted without a protest. She formed a perfect ice cone in her hand, clear as glass, and Squall crushed the leftover ice in the small moogle shaped ice shaver. Upon receiving the ice cone from Shiva, he served the shaved ice with mango syrup and handed Terra her delectable treat. It was needless to state it, but it had to be stated anyway: Shiva was _pissed_.

She eyed the half-esper as she licked at her frosty treat, alternating looks between her and Squall. _This girl...why does she seems so...dangerous?_

"Oh," Terra lowered her snow cone and looked to the black lion, seemingly forgetting about her treat altogether. "Squall, you're kind of like a summoner, right?"

Squall quirked a brow, never giving much thought to the idea. "...That might be one way to describe it."

"Yuna told me that you're able to call upon guardians like Shiva through an ability called junction." Terra leaned over eagerly. "What does junction do, exactly?"

"Junction," Shiva decided to cut into the conversation that was progressing without her, drawing the half-esper's attention to her, "Is an ability that binds the guardian and the contractor. In _our_ case..." She emphasized the word 'our', gesturing to Squall and herself possessively. "...we are bound together mentally and spiritually. We're literally brought together to act as one, drawing from each other's inner strengths and eliminating our weaknesses." The result of her explanation was disturbing. Terra was giddy, trembling even.

"I need to experience that." She slowly turned her head to regard Squall. "You have to junction me, Squall!"

_Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait... _Squall and Shiva both leaned away from the half-esper on their respective sides.

"...I don't think that's possible." The commander told her, staring at her as though she lost a screw somewhere.

"No, I spoke with Yuna about it." Terra assured him, nodding her head cutely. "Technically we're all the same beings; Espers, Eidolons, Guardian Forces, Aeons__–_ _we're of the same family. So since I'm half-esper you might be able to junction me!"

Shiva tried to hide her horror at the prospect of sharing Squall with this girl. _This girl really is dangerous!_

"See, if you junction me, we might be able to help each other." Terra explained. "If we can bond spiritually and mentally we may be able to draw the memories locked away within us!"

Squall thought over that for a moment, stroking his chin. "That's...an idea."

"And who knows what sort of abilities we might unlock from each other. It might give us an edge in combat!" At some point Terra began invading the lion's personal space. "So what do you think? Do you want to try it?"

"Don't see why not."

"Great!" She hopped up to her feet, leaving her snow cone forgotten on the ground. "Come to my tent tonight and we'll get started!" And with that she took flight, leaving Squall and Shiva behind to their own devices.

Squall turned to his guardian. "What do you think, Shiva?"

Unfortunately, Shiva was too distressed to listen to what he was saying to her. _WHAT...WHAT JUST HAPPENED HERE?_

* * *

><p><em><strong>END<strong>_

* * *

><p><em><span>OMAKE:<span>** ~She follows, still...~**_

Lightning Farron watches Squall from her rock beside him, and sighs at the indecisive stare he directs at the ground, looking very much like a troubled philosopher choosing between a vial of poison or the firing squad.

"Why don't you just ask her about it?" The L'Cie prods her partner in a slightly annoyed voice, finding herself torn between herself in sending him to see _her_. "She seems to know a lot about you, strangely enough."

Squall groans at her sound logic, but he rights himself and stand from his rock. "You're right..." He turns away from the sergeant and walks away. "I'll try to get some information from that girl."

...

...

Squall stopped in his long walk _(his very slow walk, actually) _when he finally came across the person he was looking for, kneeling over a patch of beautifully blossoming flowers. In fact, it seemed like wherever Aerith Gainsborough walked, flowers seemed to follow after her like children desperately reaching out for the inviting hand of their beloved mother. Almost as if she knew he would come to her, she stood gracefully and turned around to smile at him. In the far shade of a tree in the distance Cloud Strife almost swooned at seeing her pearly whites. He would later turn to his left to find Bartz and Zidane staring at him oddly.

"Yes, instructor Leonheart?" She urged him on melodically. "What would you like?"

Squall's left eyebrow twitched at hearing her utter that title, but he couldn't guess why for the life of him. Anyway, time for those answers– "...Gainsborough. "He started off his end of the exchange, flinching when she had a sudden intake of air. "What's the matter?" He glanced over his shoulder to check for the enemy, but when he turned back to regard her he found that her cheeks were glowing like embers.

"Ah...I haven't heard you speak my last name in a while." The flower girl said in a dreamy voice, clearing her throat when she was done. "I'm sorry, go on." She told him with a nod of her head.

"...Whatever." The lion grumbled, fighting off the chill at the nape of his neck. "You knew me...before all of this, right?"

"Yes, I did." She answered him with another nod. "Would you like to know our relationship?" If he listened closely he might have caught the quicken in her breath; had he studied her closely he might have noticed the swell in her breasts, the quiver in her lips, the frightening intensity that exploded in her green eyes. Yes, it was a frightening reaction. "I could tell you...if you want."

Squall found himself at a loss, finding no reason to object to how she just wrested control of the conversation. "Sure, go ahead."

Aerith smiled brilliantly yet again, bringing another reflexive twitch to his eyebrow. "Very well." She said cheerfully. "We were a married couple."

Squall tensed at her words, holding his breath in horror for a few seconds, but then he realized that something was seriously wrong with that answer. "You're lying." He gambled everything on those words, hoping them to be true.

She giggled, strangely enough. "Yes I am."

"I'm not here to play around." The lack lion growled, finding himself frustrated with how lightly she was taking this. "I want answers."

"Very well then." His anger did not faze her. In fact she appeared to draw pleasure from his irritation. "We were engaged."

"You're lying." He gambled again, finding it hard to accuse her of being a liar when she seemed so sure in her answer.

"Yes, I am."

"Stop that."

"Alright." She giggled. "I'll be honest with you this time." She stared back at him seriously. "We were lovers."

"You're lying." He sure hoped she was.

"I am."

"Dammit, tell me the truth!" He could feel his temper rising.

"We were a couple at the military academy."

"You're still lying."

"Fine then..." She averted her eyes, her tone suddenly very timid.

"Finally." Squall sighed. "Tell me the truth."

Aerith nodded, her eyes still turned away from him. "The truth is we were of two different worlds. You were the son of a noble family, and I was nothing more than a common girl." She looked to him, tears building in her eyes and it caught him off guard. "We loved each other, but your parents wouldn't have it. They wouldn't allow you to waste your affections, your future, on a simple flower merchant like myself. You were going to an elite military school, and I could barely afford my college tuition, so I sold flowers to save up. You promised that you would always be with me in spite of how strongly your parents forbade you, but then you disappeared."

"...I came to this world." Squall muttered, his voice low with the shiver of shock. "And you followed after me?"

"Yes, that's right." The flower girl nodded. "But now...now we can be together. We can embrace one another in this world, free of the social divide!" She held out her hands to him, smiling with tears still in her eyes. "Hold me, instructor Leonhart."

_Instructor Leonhart? _It clicked in the dark mercenary's mind again. _Wait a second, that doesn't make sense. Why would she address me that way if we really– _He whipped out his left hand, pointing at her like she was a demon from the abyss. "You're still lying to me!"

The tears disappeared faster than he could blink. "Yes, yes I am."

"The truth, please!"

"Fine." She sighed, letting her shoulders sag. "Master and sex slave."

"LIAR!"

_**~END...**_

* * *

><p><em>The camera gets a close up of Shiva and Siren sitting side by side at a reporters table, though unlike Siren, Shiva appears to devoid of her usual humor as she stares down at the table with an aura of defeat. The harpy, however, appears quite amused, stifling her own giggles behind a hand.<em>

_"Well, Shivy..." Siren says, regaining her usual composure with the innocence of one who had nothing malicious to say, "If I didn't know any better I might say that Terra just__–"___

___Shiva perks up, knowing well what her co-host is about to say and she flails her arms crying out, "Don't you dare finish that senten__–"_____

_____"__–owned you." Siren finishes anyway, her expression still feigning complete innocence. She leans over toward the ice goddess, blinking. "She did, didn't she?" She asks as a smile gradually breaks out on her face. "Didn't she?"_______

_______Shiva forces Siren to back off by getting up close in her face with a growl of, "No. She. Didn't."_______

_______The door opens, alerting both lovely guardian forces, revealing Rydia much to Shiva's horror and Siren's excitement._______

_Seeing the look on Shiva's face, the summoner asks, "What's going on guys?"_

_"Oh, you didn't hear?" Siren asks of the green haired girl with mock surprise._

_"No." Rydia shakes her head, now very much intrigued._

_"Siren!" Shiva screams. "Don't you__–"___

___"Shiva got owned." Siren spills the guts before Shiva can reach over to strangle her.___

___Rydia cocks her head to the side. "She got what?"___

___Siren smiles sinisterly. "Have a seat, child. I'll tell you about it."___

___**"**Shiva got owned?" A familiar voice carries in from outside the room moments before Ifrit pokes his head through the door Rydia used to enter. "I must know of the owning! Tell me now!" He enters the room, hunched over due to his height, and when he does the news travels like a trojan virus. ___

___Odin pops in his head. "Shiva got what?"___

___FFVIII Gilgamesh pokes in his head just above Odin's...somehow. "Owned. I definitely heard the word owned."___

___"Donk, donk, donk?" Tonberry asks, walking in with his chef knife in hand.___

___"That's right." FFVIII Gilgamesh nods. "Owned. Shiva got owned."___

___"Tell us!" Odin demands excitedly. "Tell us what happened."___

___Siren shrugs her shoulders. "Sure guys."___

___"NOOO!" Shiva shrieks.___

___"Shiva got what?" Diablo asks, popping his head in through a dark void that forms in the ceiling.___

___"OWNED!" Cactuar answers the demon, crashing in through the window. No one minds him.___

___Sacred and Minotaur press their faces against the viewing glass from outside the news room, fogging it up with the breath expelling from their snouts.___

___"DID YA HEAR, BIG BRO?" Sacred nudges his shorter older brother excitedly. "SHIVA GOT__–"_____

_____"owned." Minotaur finishes for his over excitable, larger little brother. "i heard. please shut up."_____

_____"#*&*!#" Quezacotl makes noise upon appearing within the room in a flash of lightning._____

_____"You too?" Shiva shoots death beams at the thunder GF._____

_____**"DAMMIT!" **A thunderous voice rumbles from outside the room, one that belongs to the dragon king himself. **"I AM SO BIG AND THE ROOM IS SO SMALL! SPEAK LOUDER HARPY! I MUST HEAR OF THE NEWS!"**_____

_____Shiva holds her head in her hands, wanting very much for the world to end. "End it, end it, end it, end it!"_____

* * *

><p><em><em><em><em><em><strong><em><em>[ END TRANSMISSION]<em>_**_____


	8. Password

_Disclaimer_: _I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters..._

**_Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices_**

**_CHAPTER EIGHT_**

_By Traingham_

_**A.N/** L'Cie 1, Witch 0...or was it 1?_

* * *

><p>"Aw man, I can't ignore it any longer." Bartz ruffled the back of his own head with one hand skittishly, drawing Zidane away from his sketch of a certain princess from his buried memories.<p>

"What?" Zidane inquired in mild interest, bringing the edge of his pencil back to the woman's derriere, which he applied much of his attention to for some reason. One might have said that it was the most detailed part of the figure's physique altogether. _If I could just get a nice squeeze of something so beautiful... _The genome sighed to himself, pulling back his pencil with a dejected slump of his shoulders.

"Squall doesn't hang out with us anymore." Bartz explained to his preoccupied companion. "Ever since he partnered up with Lightning for that stake out, they've been inseparable."

"Shouldn't we be happy for him?" Zidane asked, looking up at the wanderer from his sketch book once more. "I'm sure he'd be happy for us if we got ourselves a piece of the pie."

"Huh?" Bartz blinked at that statement. "What pie?"

Zidane regarded his friend blankly for a moment. "...You know, a lick of the gravy?"

"Huh?"

"Some jelly on the bun?"

Bartz paused in consideration before a light bulb clicked, "Breakfast?"

"A hand in the cookie jar?"

"Sweets?"

"I take it you're not at the advanced level yet." Zidane turned back to his sketch book, bringing his pencil to detail the woman's thighs. "One day..."

"Hey." Zidane and Bartz flinched when they were called to attention by the sound of an uncompromising voice. "Where's Squall?" And there she stood in their sights when they turned to regard the owner of the voice, Lightning Farron in all her imposing glory. The sergeant had her arms crossed over her chest with her head slightly cocked to the side in her usual mode of low tolerance. "Isn't he normally with you two?"

"Normally with _us?" _Bartz echoed her, placing a hand on his chest with a look of disbelief. "Isn't he normally with you?"

Lightning shrugged her shoulders. "Not today, obviously."

Zidane saw the sparks crackling between the L'Cie and the wanderer, and thought it best to take some of the heat for himself before it ignited into a full out flame. "Maybe he's with someone else?" Zidane rolled his eyes when the two directed similar glares at him that would normally be reserved for one who did not know their place. Still, he pushed on to get to his point. "There's other people here for him to partner up with besides us, you know?"

"Hey!" Another voice brought the three to turn their heads. "Do you guys know where Squall might be?" Tifa Lockhart inquired innocently before holding up a fist, smiling like a child who was promised something dear. "We've got business!"

"Business?" Lightning raised a brow, her face a mask of disinterest. "Huh..."

"Aren't you usually hanging around Cloud?" Bartz asked the martial artist, a hand on his hip. "When did you and Squall start hanging out?"

Tifa scoffed, sounding insulted. "All the time!" She exclaimed, crossing her arms. "It's not like Cloud and I are connected by the hip, you know!" And yet that last statement carried a hint of wistfulness. "A-Anyway, where is he?"

The three shrugged their shoulders.

"Oi, guys!" Another voice brought the four to turn their heads to the appearance of a newcomer. "I'm looking for Squall!" Prishe informed them, the usual grin present on her face. "Know where he's at? I've got plans and he's a part of it."

"Plans?" Tifa turned on the monk. "But I've got my own business with him."

"Really?" Prishe asked, not sounding very concerned about this development. "Well__–" Lightning walked past her in the middle of her reply, getting a restless twitch from her right leg.__ "Since he isn't here," Prishe's legs began to tremble impatiently, "I'll just go search somewhere else." And with that she turned to walk away; when she realized that Lightning had taken off running already the walk shot out into a full sprint.

"Clever girl!" Tifa cried out, readying herself to sprint after the elvaan only to be caught off guard when Bartz and Zidane shot past her like arrows. "Noooooo!" She kicked up dust in her wake.

**_..._**

**_..._**

**__**Lightning and Squall stood face to face.

"...But the owls are still around." Lightning told Squall with a straight face.

Squall smirked, "Alright." He held out his hand. "Let's get going then. Word is there's newly established moogle settlement near Mt. Gulug, so we might come across some new trade stocks."

Lightning smirked back, ignoring his hand and throwing an arm around his neck instead to pull him against her. "Let's take our time."

* * *

><p><strong><em>END<em>**

* * *

><p><strong><strong>_Omake:_ **_~Left Out..._**

**__**"Can I come in?" Yuna asked, standing outside Terra's tent.

"Yes!" Terra's voice come from within, a little chipper than usual.

Yuna ducked in through the flaps to find Terra laying on her sleeping bag with a strangely content grin on her face. "You seem to be in good spirits today, Terra." The summoner commented with a small smile, kneeling down to take a seat beside the half-esper. When Terra didn't respond immediately Yuna quirked a brow, eyes swiveling over to spot something unusual on the ground. _Those boot prints...don't they belong to Squall?_

__"Terra?" Yuna called the attention of her friend who responded absently as if brought out of a pleasant dream.

"Yes, Yuna?" Terra asked, sitting up with her arms to support her. "Is something the matter?"

Yuna fidgeted awkwardly under the lovely Branford's gaze before pointing to the incriminating evidence on the ground. "Um...those foot prints..."

"Oh, they belong to Squall!" The former general tells her friend triumphantly. "He came over last night."

"...You don't say." Yuna giggled, though the nature of that giggle was curious, almost forced. "Why would he do that?"

"To junction me." Terra told her, cocking her head to the side with eyes narrowed slightly. "I spoke to you about it, remember?"

Yuna brought a hand to her forehead. "Oh yes, you did ask me about his junctioning ability."

"Well..." Terra pauses, eyes downcast. "It was...uh..." Her sudden timidness brought Yuna relief.

"It's okay if it didn't work out." Yuna patted her friend on the shoulder, comfortingly. "It just wasn't meant to be."

"It was successful!" Terra announced, seemingly ignoring her. "It's so wonderful, Yuna. It's like...it's like I'm never alone now."

Yuna's brow twitched. "Never alone?"

"And sometimes if I let my mind wander while in silence..." The half-esper blushed. "...I can hear Squall whisper to me."

Yuna became flustered. "W-what? What do you mean?"

"Like his thougths." Terra clarified for her. "You'd be surprised how funny they are sometimes!"

"F-funny?"

"Yeah, especially in the morni__–_um, Yuna?" _She blinked when Yuna stood without warning. "W-where are you going? Hey, wait a second, Yuna!"

_So this is what she had in mind when she..._ Yuna stopped just outside the tent and gripped her staff frighteningly before throwing it on the ground with a suppressed growl.

"Yuna." Warrior of Light walked over to the troubled summoner with his usual radiance. "It appears that something is troubling you__–"__

_Yuna glares at the dignified warrior._

Warrior of Light blinks. "Nevermind." He walks away.


	9. Bad Day I

_Disclaimer_: _I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters..._

**_Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices_**

**_CHAPTER NINE_**

_By Traingham_

_**A.N/** Sephiroth: Holding back since 1997..._

_**A.N II/ **Squall: Holding out since 1998..._

* * *

><p>Squall wasn't quite sure how it came to be <em>(Only Bart and Zidane would know)<em>, but all of the necessary conditions for a bad day happened to fall in place _today. _Lightning Farron happened to have arrangements with Firion so she wasn't available to join up in the morning. Normally this incited the rest of his habitual comrades to claim him since he was technically game, however, strangely enough, they also had plans already. Prishe had partnered up with her close mate Warrior of Light, Tifa had managed to convince Cloud to partner up with her, Terra had been lead away by Onion Knight for another thrown together adventure, and Yuna and Tidus had gone out in search of a way to lure out Jecht for a father to son talk, to the blitzball ace's reluctance. That left Squall alone to his own devices, a position he normally took appreciation in, but one thing got in the way of that being possible..._he was never alone_.

"We'll have four cloves of garlic and a sack of salt." Aerith Gainsborough told the flying moogle at the stall with a brilliant smile that charmed the adorable critter. She looked over her shoulder at her companion Squall Leonhart who stared back at her with a slightly subdued expression, his arms crossed over his broad chest. "Will that be all, instructor Leonhart?"

"...Whatever." The black lion responded after a short period of staring in which he realized that the flower girl wasn't going to look away until he provided her a clear response.

"That will be all." She turned back to the moogle, holding out her hand to receive the satchel of elixirs from the dark mercenary. When she felt the strap fall into her hand, Aerith paid the due amount to the waiting ball of fluff and moved aside for Squall to approach the counter and take the sack that materialized for them in a puff of white smoke. "I'm looking forward to another of your tantalizing dishes!" The flower girl exclaimed, turning to follow her companion when he made to leave the stall with the sack slung over his shoulder. "Your soup from before was delicious."

"You follow me around a lot." Squall finally voiced the source of his unease, looking over his shoulder at the pink clad woman. "Why is that, exactly?"

"You were left alone today." Aerith veered the subject in another direction without missing a beat, her face still gracing the usual smile. "No one should be left alone."

"It doesn't bother me." He replied honestly. "You can't always expect others to stay around."

"I'll always stay around."

"Hm?" Squall stopped and turned at the waist to regard her, studying her expression closely. "...Why _do_ you follow me, anyway? You haven't answered me that yet."

Aerith held her hands behind her back, taking steps toward him until she was shrouded in his shadow. "Because I'm your responsibility."

"What?" He quirked a brow, adjusting the rope of the sack along his shoulder uncomfortably. "My responsibility?"

"That's right." The flower girl nodded matter-of-factly. "I am your student, after all. It's your duty as my instructor to see everything through until we're home again."

"Hungh..." Squall grunted, twisting the sole of his left boot against the dirt beneath it. "If you're from my world...why is Cloud the one who is familiar with you?"

Aerith shook her head. "I'm not sure."

"Is that a fact?"

"I have no reason to lie to you."

"And what reason would you need to lie to me?" Squall questioned her with a cool stare. _So I'm aware of the conditions..._

"An opportunity to slip into your sleeping bag." Aerith answered him with a straight face. "While you're in it, of course."

"..." Squall blinked in mild surprise. "...You don't hold back, do you?"

"I do." She assured him with the usual cheer in her voice. "All the time."

The commander rolled his eyes. _Learning to deal with her is going to take some time, but we seem to have that in abundance here. _"Let's head back to Sanctuary before the others..." He stopped mid-sentence, getting Aerith to cock her head curiously before he dropped the sack to the ground and materialized his revolver in hand. "You shop here too?" Squall questioned, looking over his shoulder to the person who'd been approaching them.

"I know not why I am parched at the sight of you." Silver hair swayed left and right with every step of his black boots. "Perhaps it isn't my throat that goes dry..." Emerald hued eyes fixed up Aerith Gainsborough with a cool fire crackling behind them as his gloved hand tightened around the hilt of his masamune. "...but my blade." The edge of the blade reversed, turning upon the black lion and the flower girl as the intimidating man turned the blade and assumed a killing stance. "The scent of your blood leads me to you, traitor." Sephiroth's voice left his throat in a chilling crawl.

"A stalker?" Aerith questioned innocently, staring at the fallen hero with complete disregard for the killing intent that pulsed from his very direction.

"You're one to talk." Squall quipped to the woman, ignoring her giggle as he turned to face the imposing man. "As for you__–__"

"Die." The black cloaked gentleman ordered them to death before he unleashed the fury of his blade, whipping around to deliver a flurry of sword strokes that vibrated the very air. At that exact moment Squall's gunblade came away from his shoulder and his right arm moved at a blur, deflecting the series of blows in a display of inhuman precision that was all but visible to anyone who could bear witness. By the time Squall's arm came to a halt the ground that surrounded him and Aerith had been carved throughout by Sephiroth's blade as though a large clawed hand had come raking past them.

_Dammit. _Squall inwardly cursed, narrowing his eyes upon the super soldier. "What are you after?"

"The woman that stands beside you." Sephiroth answered, moving into position again. "Does she hold your shackles, black beast?"

"Think what you want." Squall retorted, preparing for the worst. "Fall back or fight me if you want to get to her."

"Fight you?" A low chuckle escaped Sephiroth's throat. "Very well, death awaits you both anyway. I'll send you both to the promised land." With that he lunged forward to meet Squall, but before he could close the distance between the end of his blade and the mercenary's heart a volley of flying rock came smashing down around him, effectively deterring him. The long haired swordsman jumped back and turned his head to the source of the ambush, as did Squall to catch sight of a familiar figure approaching fast.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud Strife came dashing into the fray like a man on the road to hell. "Keep away from her!"

"Oho?" Sephiroth smirked. "Is she your prey, puppet?"

"Shut up!" Cloud came to skidding halt in front of Squall and Aerith, barring Sephiroth's way with his buster sword. "Squall!" He shouted to the black lion without turning his head. "Take her away from here."

"No." Squall replied, getting a surprised _"What" _from the SOLDIER. "You came here to protect her, didn't you?" The commander asked, stepping forward to walk around Cloud. "Then you take her to safety. I'll be the one to handle this."

Cloud stepped back to stand with Aerith, but he hesitated. "You're sure about this?"

"Get moving." Squall replied. "I work better alone."

"...Fine." Cloud grabbed Aerith by the shoulder gently. "Let's go Aerith."

Aerith allowed herself to be taken away, but not without a casual cry of. "Try not to be long, instructor Leonheart!"

Squall couldn't fight off the small smirk that crept across his lips. "Whatever."

Sephiroth's usually unaffected calmness hit a stitch at the unexpected exchange between the SOLDIER and the mercenary. His eyes sharpened upon Squall with a scalding glare, "You should have taken your leave when you had the chance." The former Shinra general assumed another killing stance. "Fool."

"Deal with the disappointment." Squall retorted coolly, resting his revolver on his shoulder. "You're going to learn to live with it soon."

**_..._**

**_..._**

Squall ducked through the flaps of his tent, stopping short with a wince to place his hand along his abdomen when he did, but he straightened out and proceeded over to his sleeping bag with a defiant gait. He shrugged off his ruined bomber jacket _(He would ask Cosmos to help him with that later) _and clutched the two sides of what was left of his undershirt to tear it off his bleeding chest. He lifted the torn cloth to examine it with a quiet sigh, dropping it to the ground. _I keep losing these shirts..._

"She should have kept to her own business." The commander grumbled in annoyance, thinking back to how Ultimecia intervened in his duel with Sephiroth. The sorceress warded off the silver haired swordsman, demanding that he keep away from her prey or he would make an enemy of her. "...Although I suppose I should thank her next time I see her." A small part of him agreed with that last statement. As stubborn as Squall was, even he had to admit that Sephiroth was a difficult adversary to go up against; the current condition of his body was a testament to that.

"Glad to see you back, Squall." Tifa's voice came from behind him, getting him to face her. "...Well, almost in one piece, I guess." The martial artist tacked on with a chuckle.

"Thanks."

"I heard about the situation from Cloud." She told him, entering the tent completely with both of her hands held behind her back. "So I came running over to check up on you when I heard you returned. I'm guessing you must have missed Lightning on the way back because she rushed off to find you with Prishe after hearing about it herself."

"I see..." Squall mused, eyeing the bartender with suspicion when she got closer.

"..." _Squall stared._

"..." _Tifa stared back._

"Is that a potion?"

"It's a potion."

"I already have my own, so..."

"Too late."

* * *

><p><em><strong>END<strong>_


	10. Black Lion, White Valkyrie

_Disclaimer_: _I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters..._

**_Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices_**

**_CHAPTER TEN_**

_By Traingham_

_**A.N/** Squall, the man guided by fate. Lightning, the woman who fights against it..._

_**A.N II/ **This chapter takes place in a previous conflict, by the way...  
><em>

* * *

><p>"This castle just keeps going, doesn't it?" Cloud remarked to Lightning, bringing his forearm to wipe away the accumulating sweat in his brows before it could sting his eyes. He stopped counting how many battles with manikins and monsters they had been engaged into since they entered Ultimecia's castle through the entry hall. They ventured through a dark hall to the left of the staircase when Lightning took point, mistakenly got lost in the wine cellar, <em>(Where does she get the time to collect them? Pun unintended.)<em> retraced their steps to the entry hall again to take the stairs to the second floor room on the right side to find themselves in an art gallery guarded by some nasty high level manikins, and hit a dead end that forced their way back to the entry hall to take the stairs to the doorway at the top where they had a near death experience with the large chandelier, which left them in the great hall below, beside the trap door to the wine cellar again.

"This world favors Chaos a little too much." Lightning responded, doing little to hide her malevolent feelings for the death trap they had volunteered to venture, or rather she had volunteered for. Warrior of Light wouldn't allow her to go it alone for obvious reasons so Cloud joined up in the crack operation, if only to keep the sergeant from physically hurting the radiant warrior for interfering with her plans.

"Let's take that way." Cloud pointed to the doorway under the chandelier flanked by the remains of what used to be a set of arching staircases. "We haven't tried that way yet." His suggestion didn't get a verbal response from the L'Cie, but she lead the way through his suggested path after walking around the underside of the chandelier, of which they suspected would have crushed them beneath it after their experience beforehand. Upon opening the door they found themselves in an outdoor section of the castle; a dreary looking courtyard dominated by a large circular water fountain in the shadow of what appeared to be a large chapel. The courtyard diverged to a path right of the ominous Gothic structure, but whatever it was, it was gated shut.

Lightning raised her head to gauge the height of the chapel and turned her head right of its highest spire when she sighted an even larger structure towering behind it, a clock tower from the looks of it. "That looks important." She thought out loud, drawing Cloud away from his admiration of the chapel carvings and statues to bring his attention to the clock tower when she pointed to it. "We should be able to get there through the chapel."

"It's worth a shot." The SOLDIER concurred with a slight nod, following the sergeant into the chapel through the heavy double doors. The service chamber was in ruins similar to just about everything else in the castle. Lightning detected the remains of destroyed pews on the ground brought from the veil of darkness by the thin rays of light that penetrated through the dusty stained glass windows to the left of the chamber and behind the large organ at the very end of the hall. They took to the stairway in the far right of the chamber that brought them outside the building onto a rickety looking wooden bridge crossing a fog filled drop that appeared to connect the chapel to the clock tower, however, at the other end of that bridge..._** [**"The Troops Advance" Dissidia Soundtrack__–__playing riiiiiight now...**] **_

"I expected more of you guys." Squall Leonhart remarked from the other side, revolver resting upon his shoulder in his usual laid back manner. "Two people storming a castle. That's original."

Lightning drew her blazefire from its holster and readied herself, inciting Cloud to do the same with his buster sword. "I knew I'd find you here."

"You." The black lion's eyes focused on the sergeant, bringing a slight twitch to his left brow. "I was hoping I wouldn't see you again, sergeant."

"End of the line, merc." Lightning replied, the ghost of a smirk on her lovely lips as she spoke her terse line. "If your witch is here, which I'm _sure_ she is, then you won't be retreating from this fight."

Cloud frowned to himself at the numbers present in this battle. "Two against one, huh?" The Soldier mused unpleasantly, getting a grunt from his companion. "Even I don't like these numbers..." His words served as the cue for the arrival of another warrior of Chaos, via a void of darkness that tore open beside the black clad swordsman. A sultry figure passed through accompanied by the alluring sound of her haughty laughter.

"We think not." Cloud of Darkness quipped, whipping its arms out to unfurl its majestic cape with threatening snaps from the two tentacle creatures that protruded from its back.

"What are you doing here?" Squall turned to his partner with narrowed eyes. "I could handle them on my own."

"Your unyielding devotion to your sorceress is admirable, black beast." Cloud of Darkness replied with her usual flourish. "But we find your preferred methods reckless. We will assist you in this fight with or without your approval."

"Whatever." The mercenary relented. "Just don't get in my way."

Lightning and Cloud exchanged a look while the two came to an agreement.

"Unless we split those two up this is going to be a mess." Cloud told the L'Cie, tossing his chin to the fragile looking bridge. "I'll take dark and brooding." He glanced at Squall to make it clear who he was referring to, but__–__

"Back off of him." Lightning stopped him with a sharp glare. "He's mine. You can take the schizo."

Cloud held eye contact with her for a moment when she claimed the mercenary for her own, but he looked away before the sergeant could snap at him for hesitating in protest. "Yeah, alright."

Meanwhile, Squall and Cloud of Darkness claimed their opponents.

"We'll take the branded one." The void incarnate told her partner. "Do what you will with the fowl headed creature."

"No." He shook his head. "She's here for me. Let her pursue me into the clock tower and you can take on blondie here where you have the advantage. If we all try to fight here on the bridge this will turn into a bloody mess."

"As you wish, black lion." Cloud of Darkness concurred, though Squall detected the strangest sliver of hesitation in her voice. "However, heed our warning. Whatever it is that you and this woman share, do not allow it to dull your blade."

"What are you talking about?"

The alluring abomination hesitated in her reply, vexing the dark mercenary. "...We confess, there is obviously something faint present between you two and we feel that leaving the two of you alone to develop it further would be...unwise. As we stated to you in the past, you have caught our interest. It would be unfortunate to lose you here before we personally assimilate you with the void."

"Don't let it distract you." He snapped at his partner. "This isn't the end for me, and it won't be the end for you either. We'll meet up at the top of the tower when this is over, understood?"

The man was intriguing, Cloud of Darkness inwardly noted before it allowed the corner of its lips to twitch ever upward. "You have an unusual tendency to disturb us with your words, but enough of that." The humanoid void turned its attention back to the SOLDIER and sergeant with a declaration of, "Your pitiful existences end this night, pawns of Cosmos!" The moment she finished uttering those words Squall turned away and proceeded to the door of the clock tower.

"No!" Lightning bared her teeth angrily when she saw her target leave, and she glanced at Cloud. "Do it!"

"Right!" The SOLDIER nodded, bringing his buster sword over his head to wave it around. "Stars__–__" He brought it down to bear in the direction of Cloud of Darkness. "Rain down!" At his command a volley of flaming rock came shooting down from the sky at the void incarnate. Cloud of Darkness reacted by whipping its tentacles around itself in a blur, deflecting the meteor rock that rained upon it while Lightning took the window of opportunity to run across the bridge and enter the tower through the door Squall had taken his leave.

"Where are you?" The sergeant demanded upon getting inside.

Her answer came from above, "I told you not to come after me!" Squall fell upon her, swinging his blade down. Lightning rolled aside, having the silver blade bite into the floor upon his landing.

"Dodge this!" She retaliated with a blitz, charging him and whipping around with her blade to strike him. Her blazefire met his revolver when he brought it up to deflect her attack, striking his gunblade to the side with the force of her strike. Seeing him stagger from the block Lightning followed up with a quick slash to his arm, but she was pushed back with a quick kick to the stomach from the mercenary, throwing her off balance. She used the sudden knock of balance to her advantage, back flipping away and putting a distance between Squall and herself with two cover shots to keep him from pursuing before she landed. The two bullets were deflected left and right by the lion's blade when he pursued anyway, whipping around with a diagonal upward slash when the distance was closed between them.

"Ugh!" Lightning leaned back on reflex, letting the tip of his blade carve a notch in the metallic pauldron on her left shoulder. She responded in kind with a roundhouse, stunning Squall when the heel of her boot struck his chin. She dipped low with another turn to sweep him off his feet with her leg, but both of his feet evaded her with a quick jump.

"This is it!" Lightning heard an explosion discharge from the barrel of his gunblade and his body spun in mid-air, coming down on her with a heel drop to the top of her head which she narrowly avoided with another dodge roll. This time he didn't pursue her, allowing his gunblade to rest on his shoulder as he regarded her with a cool stare.

Lightning righted herself to a standing position and took on a stance with her blazefire. "So, I guess you're ready to talk."

"No." He shook his head. "Just giving you a chance to turn back."

"Keep your generosity." She snapped at him. "I'm not leaving here until I find out why you're on the wrong side."

"I'm on no one's side." Squall retorted. "My loyalties are only to Ultimecia."

Lightning smirked. "So that's the name of that witch." She pushed on with her words. "And why would you stay loyal to her?"

"I promised that I would stay by her side and protect her." The black lion replied, preparing to lunge at her. "And I'll see her through until we return to our world."

"I don't believe that."

"What?"

"The truth is you bound yourself by a promise so you wouldn't kill her yourself." Lightning accused, pointing her blade at him. "Everyone else here has an enemy, and so do you! The problem here is, you're sleeping with her!"

For the first time she saw Squall scowl openly. "You shouldn't have come here."

"The only way I'm leaving this castle is dragging you out the front door with me." The sergeant rushed forward to meet him. "You want to fight against your own fate? Then do it from the right perspective, idiot!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>END<em>**

* * *

><p><em>Evening guys, and thanks once again for reading another installment of this weird series. (Weird for me, anyway) I appreciate all the support that you've all given me, support that I hadn't been expecting to be honest. I suppose I could place the blame on a certain someone who keeps advertising my story in their author messages, for which I'm grateful. Lol<em>

_Anyway, this chapter is a bit of build up on what Ultimecia hinted at all the way back in chapter two. Squall pledged himself to her as her guardian knight in one of the previous conflicts, but his reasons for doing so weren't completely honest. I'm referring to the theme of fate that plays a tragic part in Final Fantasy VIII, you know, the story__–__and don't read on further if you're only familiar with Dissidia__–__about a bunch of orphans who separate in their childhood and somehow come together again through unforeseen circumstances to wage war against their foster mother who became a sorceress (and got possessed by Ultimecia to change the past) because Squall caused a looping time cycle in the future by killing Ultimecia, who resented humanity because Adel put the fear of sorcery into the heart of mankind with the sorceress wars. This lead to Edea meeting Cid at some point and creating SeeD through Squall's unknowing suggestion when he met her in the midst of time compression. Of course, I'm sure Laguna taking down Adel also had a part in SeeD's eventual expansion into a fighting force that would eventually come to hunt down sorceress of all ages like a twisted version of minority report. That would eventually haunt Ultimecia in the future, forcing her to become the evil sorceress we all know and have mixed feelings about. No matter how things might have gone, Squall was always destined to create the cycle because fate already chose him to be the one who affects history by killing Ultimecia, hence the ominous lyrics of "Liberi Fatali". (What a cluster fuck)_

_That being said, even in the world of Dissidia Squall Leonhart is destined to pierce Ultimecia's heart with his gunblade. It controls him and influences his actions without even his own knowledge. So, what would happen if by some strange coincidence Squall and Ultimecia met in a new world as companions, formed a relationship and fell in love, or just became friends? Well, Squall has to find a way to keep their friendship/ love safe by denying his own unexplainable urges to kill the sorceress, so he pledges himself to her as the knight that protects her from his own blade. As we know promises are the chains that bind Squall (It binds him to Rinoa and plays a major role in ensuring his return to her), so he shackles himself with his own personal code. _

_Makes for a convoluted relationship, doesn't it?_

_By the way, there was obviously a lot of build up before this final showdown between Squall and Lightning. You know:_

_1. Lightning and another warrior of Cosmos (Let's say Firion, for the hell of it) come across Ultimecia on their travels and engage her since she's a warrior of Chaos. This pits Lightning against Squall when he comes to defend her._

_2. They fight to a stand still. This starts a personal rivalry between them as they encounter each other a few more times._

_3. Cosmos hints to Lightning that Squall isn't what he seems. (Leads to her own investigation on him. She comes across Ultimecia again and the witch lets vital information mistakenly slip.)_

_4. STEP ONE...STEP TWO...SQUALL AND LIGHTNING HAVE A TENSE MOMENT...PROFIT!_

_5. This chapter happens. _

_5.5: I won't chronicle the other parts because I'm not about to send this fic on a plot tangent.  
><em>

_Take care,_

_Traingham...  
><em>


	11. Progress

_Disclaimer_: _I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters..._

**_Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices_**

**_CHAPTER ELEVEN_**

_By Traingham_

_**A.N/ **Therapy, Farron style...  
><em>

* * *

><p>Given the circumstances of their relationship, they set up camp together quite often, so he should have already been accustomed to spending the night with her, but somehow she always managed to make things slightly uncomfortable for him.<em><br>_There was an undeniable flow of tension between them and Lightning Farron had a mysterious knack for making that quite clear to Squall Leonhart whenever they had their time alone; whether this was intentional on her part or not, the dark mercenary couldn't make a definite bet and perhaps that is what frustrated him more than anything else about his beloved partner. Like all women, Lightning had the uncanny ability to make her feelings unclear to the male sensibility. Hyne knows, when she disliked something she made it damn clear how she felt about it without any proper sense of reservation, but the white Valkyrie didn't dislike Squall, at least not anymore, so that placed him in an awkward position.

"You're staring." Lightning informed Squall, eying him from her seat on the ground beside him. She was leaning against an overturned log with her arms laid out on top of it, legs crossed with the occasional wiggle of her left foot. "Something on your mind?" The sergeant asked the black lion as he continued to turn the meat on the spit over their campfire. She allowed a small smile to creep across her lips while she admired Squall's handling of their dinner for the night. A small part of her noted that the sight of Squall working over a fire was becoming a familiar sight to her, a sight that she associated with feelings of comfort and desire.

"All the time." The dark mercenary answered her, turning his eyes away from her.

The upturn of Lightning's lips faltered slightly at his response. "Yeah, that much I already know."

Squall turned his head back to regard her, detecting the criticism in her response. "It's the first time I've ever really _looked_ at you without your overcoat."

"Enjoying the view?" She raised one brow slightly, the tone in her voice hard to place.

Squall turned his attention back to the meat on the spit. "It just makes you look relaxed, I guess." _A little less imposing, too. _The commander reached back with his free hand to slip a fork out of his back pocket. He poked at the meat to check how tender it was and hummed with satisfaction before positioning himself to the side of the spit so he could grip it at both sides and remove the meat from the fire.

"It's easy to get relaxed around you." The sergeant remarked, watching as he placed the meat on a wooden board he left sitting on a rock near the fire. "Don't you feel relaxed around me?"

"You like your meat bloody, right?" Squall asked her with a glance over his shoulder, seemingly dodging her question. "I didn't want the meat to get tough so it's still a little__–__"

"Hey." Lightning cut him off with a glare.

"Yeah?" Squall looked over his shoulder, keeping eye contact this time.

"You're comfortable around me, aren't you?" She shifted against the log, puffing out her chest like a bird when she did.

"What makes you think I'm not?"

"You've never tried eating beside me, for one." She told him indignantly.

"Ugh." An odd noise escaped the lion's throat as though he'd received a blow to the gut. "What's wrong with the way we normally eat?"

"We're the only ones who ever eat that way." Lightning replied. "You never see Tifa and Cloud eat across from each other, or Vaan and Terra. They always eat beside each other."

Interesting how she made note of those particular pairs. "And that's relevant to us _how_?"

"I think it's pretty _damn_ relevant." Lightning retorted with another glare. "We've been partners for how long?"

"A while, I'd say." Squall answered her, rising to a standing position so he could fully turn his body to face her with a hand against his hip. "What are you driving at?"

"You still stare at me the same way you did when we first met."

"Because I'm still trying to figure you out." He shot back with a glare of his own, prompting her to match it. "It's not exactly easy to know the right things to say, or the right things to do whenever we're together."

"You think you're any easier to feel out?" She quipped. "Sometimes I wonder if you're trying to be mysterious whenever we talk, or if you're just naturally inept at expression."

"This really isn't the time." Squall rolled his eyes at her, prompting her to do the exact same. "Let's talk about this after we're done eating."

Lightning's eyes swiveled back to him and she sighed, holding a hand out to him. "Help me up, then." When she saw the hesitation in his body language she shook her hand out to him to hurry him over. Still, perhaps to annoy her, he walked over in her direction slowly, and when he finally reached her he offered her his hand with a mocking bow. "Heh." The sergeant smirked and gripped his forearm before he could react and pull away from her grasp. She tugged down hard and the lion fell right on top of her at which point she wrapped her arms around him, rolled onto the ground with him still in her embrace and wrapped her legs around his waist to keep him stuck in place.

"L-Light!" Squall struggled, but her hold could rival even Prishe's strength and that was saying something. (_A story for another time._) "What...urgh!" He tried to break away with his right arm, but it wouldn't budge. "...the hell? Let me go!"

"Bask in it, Squall." Lightning whispered in his ear with a breathy giggle. "Get used to my body heat." She brought her face to his neck and sniffed. "Hm, you don't smell too bad, actually."

"Stop playing around, Light!" He went stiff when he felt her nose nuzzle against the hairs on the nape of his neck. "This is starting to feel weird!"

"Bask in it, dammit!"

"Urgh!" Squall struggled a final time, but when it proved useless he just flopped in her arms and relaxed. "Fine."

"How does it feel now?" Lightning asked, positioning her cheek beside his. "Better?"

Squall allowed his head to rest against her with a nonchalant reply of__–__"...Can't complain, I guess."

* * *

><p><em><strong>END<strong>_

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><p><em><span>Omake<span>_: _**~Intruder...**_

"Ngnnnn." Squall turned over in his sleeping bag with a groan, moving his arms in an upright position at the sides of his head before letting out a long yawn, eyes squeeze tightly. _Lesson plans, lesson plans...wait...what am I prepping for? _The mercenary's eyebrow quirked in his sleep as he questioned the odd direction of his thoughts. _That flower girl must really be getting to me if I'm beginning to think like an instructor. _He brought his hands behind his head, rolling onto his back again. _Lightning seems to be getting impatient over something...I mean, I think I know where she's going with it, but should we really deepen our relationship given the circumstances of our situation? This won't last forever, right? _Squall turned over to his side again and__–**Bop...**__

__"Hungh?" Squall's nose wrinkled at the subtle scent that tingled his senses, a feminine scent, a voice in the back of his mind noted almost immediately. He opened his eyes to find a familiar face filling his vision, though the peaceful expression that took the place of her habitually wild look made her appear somewhat fresh and new in his bleary vision. "Prishe?"

"Hmmmm." The elvaan moaned in her sleep, moving her lips side to side in a strangely endearing fashion.

"...Hey." Squall reached out to tap her shoulder, at which point she rolled into his chest and clutched onto him. "You're not doing this again." He tried slipping his hand under her arm to pry himself free from her grasp, but her hold was surprisingly strong. Already, this was beginning to look a lot like the last time he caught the monk sleep walking into his tent. If what Shantotto told him was true, then Prishe must have imprinted on his scent the last time she slept on him so long ago, and her heightened senses were unconsciously leading her to him every time she had one of her midnight strolls. "Prishe..." He pushed against her stomach to get her off, but she hooked one of her legs around him.

A small voice escaped her. "...Warm..."

"For you, maybe." Squall quipped, feeling sweat begin to accumulate around the side of his forehead. "Your body feels like a damn furnace."

"Don't..." Prishe began again in her small voice, pressing her slick forehead into his neck.

"What?" Squall blinked, holding still when she began rubbing her face into his chest. "Don't what?"

"...Don't...leave me."

_That's playing dirty, dammit. _The black lion narrowed his eyes before closing them with a sigh. "Whatever..." He slipped an arm under her and scooped her against him, turning onto his back again so she laid on top of him. The elvaan warrior appeared to be somewhat conscious of his embrace in her slumber, relaxing against him with a faint smile. "...After all, this is temporary...right?" _I mean_, _I'll wake up one day and you won't be here in my arms when I open my eyes, right? _Squall felt his chest tighten for some reason when the idea crossed his mind. _But where will you go when this is all over? _His fingers slipped into her hair, getting tangled in her silk mane. _Will you have someone to keep you warm there?_

"Damn it all."


	12. Neglect

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters..._

**_Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices_**

**_CHAPTER TWELVE_**

_By Traingham_

_Flashbacks present within: **[...]**_

_**A.N/ **Believe in the Squall who believes in you...maybe..._

* * *

><p>"Oh man!" Squall Leonhart leaned away slightly when Tifa Lockheart reached out to grab his hands, tugging him to her as she leaned her pretty face way into his comfort zone with that exclamation. She was beaming so brightly that the mercenary could swear he was being forced to squint just to keep from being blinded by the radiance of it all. "It's just you and me as a pair this time. This has never happened before, <em>ever<em>!"

"No, it hasn't." He replied with a contrasting deadpan on his handsome features, lacking the apparent enthusiasm at the development that the martial artist apparently couldn't keep bottled up, and yet__–__

__**[** _Lightning Farron turned to Squall after adjusting the strap of her blazefire holster. "You ready, partner?" She asked expectantly, taking a pause when she noticed the odd expression on her beloved partner's face. It almost appeared to be apologetic, an emotion very rarely present on this particular individual's face._

_"Sorry, Light." He apologized to her, getting a raise of the eyebrow in response. "I might have other plans today."_

_"Plans to see through alone?" The sergeant questioned him, her tone bordering on interrogative. There was a sharp gleam in her eyes as she went on, "Or with someone else?" Such a dangerous question..._

_Squall reached up to adjust his fur collar, clearing his throat when he did. "It's just a little annoyance that needs to be taken care of."_

_"And I can't accompany you because..." The L'Cie trailed off, wanting him to fill in the blank._

_Squall stared her dead in the eyes, hoping she wouldn't take his reply the wrong way. "You might make it difficult for me to handle." Luckily for him Lightning was incapable of heat ray vision, although the very look in her eyes at that moment alone had the sheer intensity required to set his fur alight. **]**_

Tifa started jabbing at the air, cutting the wind with her fists in a playful display that felt familiar for some reason. "We're going to kick so much ass together!" She exclaimed with a grin, looking back at Squall as she danced in place. The entire scene was a page out of Prishe's book of mannerisms, the black lion observed to himself in silence; like watching an actress do a parody of another individuals sketch. The martial artist could hardly be considered an exceptional acting talent, and the facade that she was struggling to maintain in front of him was emotionally taxing her. Squall could clearly see it even though it appeared that she had already managed to fool herself into believing it was convincing enough.

Squall pushed away from the column he'd been leaning against, deciding that he would play along for now. "Let's head out, then." His voice stopped her bouncing around. "The tomes that we're searching for should be toward the Western Keep."

"Gotcha." She affirmed with a quick nod. She took point, prompting the dark mercenary to follow her lead.

The sun had passed over their heads and fallen to their backs before Tifa finally began to show her true colors, sighing whenever her mood seemed to get the best of her. Squall noticed the first crack in her armor when they came across their fourth Imaginary Soldier; the one whose head she took a disturbing amount of meticulousness in smashing to grains of dust. Upon meeting their sixth manikin of the SOLDIER the martial artist started getting very creative about the ways she finished them off, and the fact that they kept on running into these false imitations of the fowl headed blonde meant Squall had every opportunity to see what forms of torture the busty monk had cooking up in her head.

"Tifa." Squall called her name sharply when the lovely bartender stopped beside a dilapidated wall from the ruins of an relic temple they had been passing on their way to the bridge far ahead of them. She stared at it for a long time before bowing her forehead against the cold wall and shaking it, her lips moving but forming no words to be heard. At this Squall called her name again, stopping beside her. "Tifa, it's a little early for us to set up camp. We should at least get to the other side of the mountain before we stop doing anything."

Tifa turned her head to regard him, still resting the side of it against the wall when she did. The expression on her face looked strangely subdued. "Hey, Squall..." Her eyes shied from his timidly for a brief moment before returning to make contact again.

Squall could already tell this was going to be awkward for him, but he humored her. "What?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"D-don't look at me like that." She told him, averting her eyes again.

"Like what?" He deadpanned, still staring at her in his usual way.

"Like my words aren't worth paying any mind to before I even say anything."

Squall blinked, feeling a little sting from her accusation. "I'm not thinking that." He assured her, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice, but fairly undetectable to the untrained ear. "Just tell me what's up."

Tifa's chest rose with a deep breath before falling with a slow exhale. She met his gaze again and posed the question that had been plaguing her, "Would you say that I'm...a-attractive?" The last word came off her tongue in a nervous stammer. She kept eye contact with him, but he could tell it was taking everything in her power not to run away. Not that he wasn't feeling any less awkward after the question was brought out in the open.

Squall felt himself shift his weight on one leg as the information he received trickled through his mind like sap. "...Why..." He answered as carefully as he could, narrowing his eyes in response to the amount of brainpower that he was being forced to crank out in order to be as neutral as possible in his reply. "...What would make you think of yourself as...not...attractive?" _That was smooth, Leonhart. Pat yourself on the back for that one, very quote worthy._

His reply must have hit a tender spot, because Tifa's reaction was to glare at him. "Just answer the question, Squall." It kind of reminded him of the way Lightning glared at him earlier in the morning, which didn't mean well for him, he took it. "Sheesh, I was hoping I could at least count on your crude honesty."

_Crude? Haven't heard that one before. _"You're very attractive, Tifa." Squall came right out with it, uncrossing him arms to rest a hand on his hip. "I doubt any other guy would say otherwise unless he was somehow visually impaired."

Tifa turned her face away from him this time. "And what do you think of me...personally?"

Squall's man senses started tingling. "Tifa, I think that's enou__–"__

__"Squall!"_ _She cried out, her face still turned away. "Don't wuss out now."

_Wuss out? Who's wussin ou___– "__You're an upbeat, nice girl." He answered her, rolling his eyes. "Why are you asking me this?"

"...That's all?"

"Tifa..." Squall felt his patience wearing slightly at her attitude, but he knew this wouldn't go away unless he dealt with it now. "Just tell me what's going on."

"...Can I trust you?" Her voice fell soft as she asked him that simple question, and it made his stomach twist.

Squall nodded in spite of the fact that she couldn't see him do it. "You can trust me." His honest response brought her to face him again.

"I think Cloud wants nothing to do with me." She told him dejectedly. "As much as I try to get him to open up to me and accept me, it just doesn't seem to get through to him. Sometimes I wonder why I try so hard." She paused to stare at Squall. The cool understanding in his eyes made her feel a little less awkward, and she found a sense of appreciation in it. "I figured that maybe it was because I'm unpleasant to be with."

"I don't think that's the case." Squall interjected.

"Huh?"

"Do you think you love Cloud?" The black lion questioned her without any sense of shame.

Tifa was stunned by the question, reflexively pushing away from the wall to take a step back. "S-Squall..."

"You can trust me." He told her firmly, never breaking contact. "Just tell me."

Tifa kept silent for the longest time, staring into his eyes intensely as if searching for a lie, but when Squall wouldn't back down she finally answered. "I-I'm not sure what I feel for Cloud."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm being honest!" She cried out to him, squeezing her eyes shut when she did to express her distress at revealing as much. "I don't know why I feel so close to him, or why I find myself drawn to his side all the time. I barely understand any of the feelings I get whenever I'm around him, but...it just feels right, you know?" Her eyes were pleading for an agreement, but__–__

_"_I'm sorry." He told her with a disarming innocence in his voice that made the girl shiver. "I don't know that feeling. At least I think I don't." He looked to the side, crossing his arms again. "All I've felt since I was brought to this world is confusion and uneasiness."

"Not even when you're with Lightning?" Tifa's question elicited a strange sound from his throat; a chuckle.

"She makes me even more uneasy." Squall admitted, humor passing through before his tone became quite serious again as he looked to her. "However, if you do feel those things for Cloud then I'm sure even he's noticed."

Tifa gripped her left arm. "You think so?"

"I know so." He said confidently. "And if I'm right about anything else, then I'm sure he's keeping you away to keep you out of danger."

"I can handle myself." Tifa protested. "I've dealt with danger befo__–"__

"Not the kind of danger he's thinking about." Squall cut her off. "When things get personal and you feel like you have to make a decision that weighs both of your lives in the balance...well, I'm sure he wants to avoid that kind of situation. In this world of endless conflict that sort of situation is inevitable, and it will come if the conditions are met."

"What conditions?"

"Mutual affection." He answered her.

"So that's it, huh?" Tifa blurted out, her shoulders shaking with the follow of a shrill laugh. "Just give up and be a pawn in this twisted game waged by the gods? Am I just supposed to throw everything I've felt away so it won't interfere with the grand scheme of things?" Her display of anger could bring no response out of her traveling companion. "Well, you know what? Screw him, then! Screw Cloud and his _noble_ decision. What's left for me in the equation?"

"...But, you know." Squall spoke up, quieting the woman's anger. "Those feelings..."

"W-what?" Tifa choked out through a tightened throat.

"They're powerful, those feelings." He went on. "And valuable." Tifa stared on, awaiting more to come from his lips. "To love a person takes more courage than it does to push them away, and that is a strength that ensures the safety of friends and family when the chips are down." The mercenary didn't smile or smirk when he stared into her eyes, but Tifa couldn't help the twitch at the corners of her lips. "Don't give up, Tifa." And at this Squall smirked. "Cloud's just being a jerk."

The tears the martial artist was holding back finally slipped down her cheeks, but they weren't shed in sadness. "You..." She stepped toward him, holding her hands out to him and before he could duck away she grabbed him by the back of his head and pressed the side of it against her left breast. Squall could only blink in silence as she held him there, pressing him harder until he could go no further. "You hear that, Squall? You got my heart beating again."

"...Good to hear, Tifa." The black clad gentleman told her, unsure of whether to push away from her or wait to be released. To his relief she did it before he could take the matter into his own hands, but instead of letting him go completely she kept his face held between her hands, leaning in until he could see nothing else but her face. "...Tifa?"

"Lightning better keep you close from now on." She told him with a brilliant smile. "As far as first impressions go I don't think I'd care for another partner." For a moment it almost seemed as though she was going to lean in for a kiss, but__–__

__**KERASH!**__

A Transient Lion came crashing down at their feet from a forty-five degree angle, likely coming down from the cliff that was overlooking the temple ruins. Its unexpected drop in startled the two of them into breaking away from each other, and not a moment too soon because Lightning Farron's boot soon followed with her own landing, crushing the mannequin's head underfoot. The corpse collapsed into a pile of dust beneath the L'Cie as she turned an eye upon her beloved lion.

"What's going on guys?" The pinkette questioned with a straight face as she grind the dust beneath her boot, never looking away from Squall the entire time she did.

"**_Nothing._**" Squall and Tifa answered her in unison.

* * *

><p><strong><em>END<em>**

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><p><em>Good evening guys!<em>

_Okay, so originally there was supposed to be dance off following the drabble (If you could call it that) as an omake, however, considering how long this stretched on and the mood whiplash that would have ensued from such a random segment, I have decided to keep that waiting for the next installment in the series. I hope to make the next little affair into a Squall x Yuna outing, if only because I've been neglecting the summoner for reasons that escape even myself. Well, I figure since I've given Tifa a nice little chapter to herself, why not give Yuna a chance to shine, and possibly throw more wood into Terra's ever growing fire._

_Meanwhile, for those who still bother to read "The Stalker's Log", I'm planning to release an update sometime next week (Just checking: Today is 28/01/2012) so look forward to it in all of its randomly bizarre glory. There will be zombies, and there will be blood. Oh, and Selphie gets more screen time!_

_Take care,_

_Traingham..._


	13. Strike it Hot

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters..._

**_Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices_**

**_CHAPTER THIRTEEN_**

_By Traingham_

_**A.N/ **Yuna, the last one running, but not the last one in the race...perhaps..._

_**A.N II/ **Music provided by Nobuo Uematsu and Takeharu Ishimoto...  
><em>

* * *

><p>"It's very interesting." Yuna noted with fascination after swallowing the sandwich portion she'd been chewing. Squall looked up from his sandwich making when she did, still layering the long slice of hard bread with lettuce. "You have a surprisingly strong affinity with the Shiva line. Even my own guardian harbors interest in you."<p>

Squall appeared to shrug at the observation, "I couldn't tell you why if that's what you're trying to figure out." Very blunt in his responses, as was always promised, but the summoner wasn't discouraged by his _unique_ conversation qualities in the least, not anymore anyway. She'd come to the conclusion long ago that different people required different approaches, and with that mindset they were much easier to understand.

"No." She told him with a shake of her head in spite of it being impossible for him to see the gesture with his eyes turned away. "It's just that you would have likely been a fellow summoner back where I'm from." Of course, whether this was a good thing coming out of her mouth, that was debatable.

"Must be nice to still have an idea of where that is." Squall spoke after a moment of pause, reminding her of where he stood as far as that was concerned.

"...I'm sorry." She frowned, her tone somber.

Squall shook his head to clear her worries. "You've got nothing to apologize for. Besides, a part of me prefers it this way. I'm not exactly homesick not knowing what home is, and I'd prefer that over yearning to get back."

"That makes sense." Yuna nodded absently.

"Although knowing where you come from would definitely provide more of an incentive to get back." And at this comment the summoner's frown returned.

"Or not." She said, getting a flicker of interest from her black clad companion, who had been anticipating a different response out of her mouth. "Home isn't always sweet."

"I suppose not." Squall concurred after giving her words consideration. "It can't be worse than this though." He brought up afterward, topping the lettuce with slices of hard boiled eggs. He didn't take note of the small smile that came over Yuna's lovely face when he said that.

"I didn't realize that my company was so unpleasant."

He looked up at her again with a, "You know what I mean."

"Just kidding." She giggled, meeting his eyes. "But I honestly enjoy this. Sure, the conflict is unpleasant in itself, but spending time with all of you; this family we've gradually become through our bonds as comrades, really just eases everything."

"Family." Squall thought aloud sounding not too sure about her usage of the word she applied to the group.

"You don't think so?" She inquired, unconvinced by his questioning response. "As close as you are with Bartz and Zidane, or Prishe and Lightning? You don't feel like we've become more than fellow warriors in all of this?"

"That sort of attitude helps nothing." He replied without a beat. "This will end someday." His logic was sound in that respect and it made Yuna's smile dampen as a result.

"Yes...yes, you're right." She allowed him with a hint of sadness. "But that only means that you shouldn't take it for granted. Moments like this," She held her sandwich portion up, regarding it with a tenderness in her eyes. "Moments with you. I'll treasure them even when we're worlds apart."

Squall fought the urge to let a chuckle slip as he responded, "Don't get so dramatic about it."

Yuna felt the warmth in his voice and her smile lifted again. "You're to blame for that and you know it."

"Whatever." The mercenary replied after applying the second layer of meats to complete his deli masterpiece, finishing it off by placing the top layer of hard bread. It was perhaps a little too much for the two of them alone, which bothered the summoner for reasons that she cared little for making public. Still, her own curiosity was getting the best of her the longer she stared at it...

"Men really do put it away, don't they?" She remarked as she gave the sandwich a stare at which point Squall produced a medium bread knife and cut the crisp sandwich into separate portions, a pleasing cracking reaching her ears each time he drove the knife through the top and bottom layers of the thick bread.

"Terra's coming." He answered her poorly veiled question smoothly.

"Hmm." She didn't recall the half-esper being a part of the afternoon arrangements. "When did you..."

"I had a feeling that I bought in excess so I sent her an invite." He explained.

"An invite?"

"Yeah." The mercenary told her with a casual nod. "It's easy to do since we're junctioned."

Yuna's eyes narrowed somewhat at the mention of the accursed word and what it stood for. "Yes, she told me about that. How did that go, by the way? I'd understand that junctioning a half-esper would bring up complications in the ceremony."

"It was when we started out, but Terra eventually suggested a blood ritual to increase our chances of success."

"A b-blood _what_?" Her eyes grew wide with bewilderment. "Wait," For a moment her tone came off as desperate, "What did you two do in that tent?"

It was entirely possible that Squall may have flinched at her interrogating tone, but _just_ possible. "That's a bit confidential, actually. She made me promise her to keep quiet about that." Squall looked aside and grumbled. "Probably for the best anyway."

The summoner looked just about ready to protest, but her self discipline helped her curb back with a pained, "I...I respect that. If she held you to a promise then I won't push for an explanation." Even if it killed her to let that one slip away easily.

"Squall!" And Terra Branford's ever chipper demeanor appeared to readily mock her in her moment of emotional torture. The former magitek general came jogging to their picnic area, waving to the black lion with a sense of grace and confidence that felt unnatural to Yuna, watching her approach. The junctioning was working wonders on the young woman's social ineptness. "Oh, it looks delicious!" She remarked, admiring the commander's handiwork.

"It's there to eat." Squall told her with an inviting gesture. "Have as much as you want."

_"Y-You mean it?"_ The three of them did a double take when Prishe's voice intruded without an introduction of any sort. The elvaan rested her chin on Squall's head, both hands at his shoulders from behind. The physical intimacy that the foul mouthed monk shared with the commander at that exact moment stirred strange feelings in both women, especially since Squall didn't make an effort to shake her off, even reaching down to pick up a sandwich portion and hold it up to her mouth so she could take a bite before grabbing hold of it with both hands and taking a seat beside him, the spot that Terra's eyes had seemingly been appraising since she arrived herself.

"Amgh." Prishe chewed contently, her body swaying left and right in a little happy dance as she munch. "_Sho_ gewd." She managed between chews.

"Try swallowing before talking." Squall sighed, brushing a crumb away from the elvaans cheek with a thumb before turning his attention to Terra who suddenly seemed a little less chipper. "What's wrong, Terra?"

The half-esper's smile looked fragile. "Nothing!" She assured him brightly, though to Yuna's ears it sounded artificial.

Some would always have advantages over others, a lesson Yuna would learn well in time.

* * *

><p><strong><em>END<em>**

* * *

><p><span>OMAKE<span>: **~Sanctuary Stomping Grounds...PART I**

Squall tried to ignore what was taking place just a few feet away from him; kept his concentration on the fine edge of his blade as he went about maintaining it with the tools that he purchased from those moogles. At this point he stopped concerning himself with the thought of what those little critters couldn't get their hands on because their inventory seemed to suit the need of every warrior regardless of what they required, as long as they were able to pay the price. He imagined that they were much tougher than they appeared if they could get the likes of Garland or Ultimecia to fork over their hard earned elixirs for the tools they required to dominate in the war, but enough of those damn adorable puffs of cotton with their bobbing pom poms...

"Bartz?" The young commander couldn't hold back his curiosity any further, looking to the wanderer who did away with his usual attire in favor of a chest clinging red shirt, shy a few buttons so that his surprisingly toned pectorals bulged out, and a pair of black slacks with a green sash. The usual greaves were replaced with polished dancing shoes that reflected the concentrated rays of the sun. "What's with the get up?" Squall asked, his eyebrow hovering just slightly to express his confusion.

"Oh, this?" Bartz perked up at the question, doing a quick about turn to face his friend with a flourish of his arms that was almost theatric in nature, comparable to the gestures that Kuja was prone to making whenever he opened that accursed mouth. It bothered the lion a little to see the resemblance, but he said nothing in fear of making a definite confirmation.

"Yeah," Squall rested his gunblade on his leg to point and direct a finger to the shirt that seemed a few sizes too tight on the young Klausers lean frame, "What is all of that?" _It doesn't look fit for combat...at all._

"It's my dancing outfit." Bartz explained with a charming smile that complimented the outfit very well. "It helps me unlock my inner dancing spirit."

"Literally?" Squall's eyebrow hovered a little higher.

"Yeah." The wanderer nodded his head, his expression quite serious. "It's part of my abilities."

Squall nodded, remaining silent for a long time after he did before a flat, "Huh..."

"Hey," Bartz's eyes lit up with mischief not unlike the look that usually crept into Zidane's eyes whenever he was plotting something, "You do a little dancing yourself, don't you Squall?"

"No." The black clad gentleman denied the claim. "I don't."

"Of course you do!" Bartz insisted, approaching his friend. "Everyone knows about it."

_What? They do? Who the hell__–___ Squall noticeably tensed, a feat in the wanderer's book that he'd make sure to personally note. "Whatever."

"Hey, man, show me a move."

"I'm not doing anything." Squall shook his head stubbornly. "There's no reason to."

"Come on, Squall." The dancer pestered him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Just one thing."

"Bartz, seriously, read the mood." The commander growled. "I have an image to maintain and doing a little dance isn't going to do much for it."

"Even if I beg?" Bartz asked, annoying his friend with the stressed tone. "Even if I beg really hard?" At this point he took hold of Squall's arm and began tugging like a spoiled brat. "I'm begging man. I'm begging really hard!"

Squall tried to jerk his arm away, but Bartz's hold was firm as he continued to tug. "Bartz, cut it out."

"Squ-u-a-a-ll!" Bartz drawled, never relenting in his tugging and it was driving the man on the receiving end over the edge. The expression on Squall's face as he stared at his annoying friend, it would have even brought a giggle to expel from Lightning's throat if the sergeant had been nearby to see the spectacle.

"Stop it, stop it." Squall's voice neared a hiss, using his free hand to smack Bartz's hand. It succeeded in getting the other man to let go, but Bartz knew he had won. "I'll do it." Squall submitted grudgingly. "Just quit it, or I'll strangle you."

"Awesome!" Bartz pumped a fist in the air. "Show me your moves!"

Squall stood from the ground, willing his revolver to vanish when he did. "...Ok." The commander patted at his pants and stood still, his body language hinting at hesitation, but when Bartz regarded him with the same look from earlier he got past it for the sake of his own sanity. He began by taking a step to the left, bringing his other foot to join and following with a step to the right, repeating and alternating until he was doing a classic example of the most basic movement ever conceived in the art of dance: _The two step._

Bartz, quite frankly, was disappointed. "What is that?"

"The two step." Squall answered him with a straight face, raising both arms to chest level to mix things up a bit. "It's a basic step that allows for innovation. The corner stone of dancing, if you will." He proceeded to incorporate a wiggle to his legs that animated his dance further. "By adding other movements you can come up with something that can safely adapt to any kind of musical situation."

"You make it sound like...a tactic." Bartz said flatly.

"Dancing is about tactics." Squall argued.

"Dancing is all about passion, man." Bartz corrected him.

"It's about motion and precision." Squall shot back.

"It's all about letting it all hang out!"Bartz contested.

"It's about__–"__

__"Hey you." __ Squall and Bartz turned away from each other when a third person interrupted the conversation sharply, sounding insulted. It was Cloud Strife, standing a few feet away with a finger outstretched, directed at Squall Leonhart like a man issuing a challenge; and he was. You see, Cloud didn't appreciate Squall bringing that garbage into his house, Sanctuary. Back when he ruled the streets of Midgar, showing others his superiority through his dance moves there was an unspoken code of respect among men and this poser was breaking it. He was stomping on it, and the SOLDIER didn't appreciate it. He was going to show him his place. _(Actually, Cloud didn't know where the hell he just got all of that from, but his pride as a man wasn't letting this slide.)_

"What is it, Cloud?" Squall inquired of the fowl headed blonde.

"What do you call _that_?" Cloud asked, pointing to the other mans feet.

"The two step."

"I call it garbage."

"What?" Squall leaned back, eyes narrowed. What did this guy know about dancing? Who did he think he was, coming up to him and disrespecting him like this? Back when Squall ruled the halls of Balamb Garden and the back alleys of Timber there was an unspoken code amongst men. Zell knew it, Irvine knew it, even Seifer, his rival in street dancing knew it. Either you backed up your words with the stomp of your feet, or you turned tail and beat it. He wasn't going to let this fool run his mouth like he _knew_ what it was all about. _(Actually, Squall didn't know where the hell all of that came from, or who those named men were, but his pride as a man wasn't letting this slide.)_

"You heard me, Squall." Cloud walked up to Squall and placed his outstretched hand on the commander's chest before giving a shove. Squall staggered back, but Bartz caught him before he could lose his balance. "Man up and show me what you're really about."

"Hey, Cloud, what's going on?" Bartz demanded. "This isn't right."

"No." Squall placed an arm in front of Bartz so he wouldn't approach the mako infused blonde. "Don't get involved, Bartz. I can handle this."

"But Squall__–__" Bartz protested, but Squall looked him in the eyes, a cold stare that said _"You'll get your chance someday, but that day isn't today"_; it was a stare that made the wanderer back down. He had to find it in himself to understand, even if this was getting weirder by the minute. The bizarre scene wasn't lost on the other warriors of Cosmos, Tidus in particular who had been passing in the distance when he heard Cloud's challenging voice. The blitzball ace saw the dispute escalating between the SeeD and the SOLIDER and began to spread the word. In time a circle began to form around the two dance battlers.

"Look what you started." Squall told his adversary, gesturing to the other warriors clamoring around them.

"And I'm going to finish it." Cloud said cockily. He hopped and when he landed back on his feet he struck an aggressive pose, legs apart and his arms crossed. "I hope you got your game with you."

"Are you gonna talk, or are you gonna walk?"

"Neither." Cloud declared, eyes narrowing. "I'm gonna step it up."

**[**"J-E-N-O-V-A"~Dissidia Mix__–__ _Hit it_. **]**

**_~TO BE CONCLUDED..._  
><strong>


	14. Bad Day II, The Quickening

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters..._

**_Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices_**

**_CHAPTER FOURTEEN_**

_By Traingham_

_**A.N/ **I told you they'd go fishing one day...I also said they would fight a hydra, didn't I?_

_**A.N II/ **Second scene takes place in the previous conflict. Dance off conclusion held back for extensive planning. (In the process of coming up with good FF mixes. Suggestions welcome.)  
><em>

_**A.N III/ **This fic is rated T, deal with it guys. **{ **__Lightning & Tifa & Terra & Yuna & Prishe & Ultimecia & Aerith & CoD & *...*: "Bullshit. Write the scene." **} **Nah, we're going with a short squirt of lime, ladies. **{ **Cosmos : "Just as planned." **}**_

* * *

><p>No one understood why Squall Leonhart tolerated Prishe, as loud and brash as she was. Technically speaking it would have been impossible to write the two off as anything but extremely incompatible; completely incapable of striking up any sort of productive chemistry that could culminate into a healthy relationship, in theory anyway, but for reasons that defied conventional logic the two got along surprisingly well. <em>"Perhaps a little too well"<em> lady Lockhart would tell you if questioned about it. "_Like leaving Shiva and Ifrit to their own devices in a cramped space"_, lady summoner Yuna might add, "_yet finding both still fit for living condition upon returning"_. "_Bathe in the light, guys" _Tidus might chip in at random. _"You're doing it all wrong" _Warrior of Light would correct.

The point was, there were certain things that the lion would do for Prishe that just wouldn't fly if someone else other than the elvaan happened to suggest them. For instance:

"Squall! Squall!" The dark mercenary opened an eye and raised his head when he heard a frantic calling of his name. "I found it!" Prishe exclaimed to him excitedly, running to meet him in his habitual spot whenever they ventured away from Sanctuary, in the shade of whatever could shroud him from the beating sun; this time being a crooked tree that had definitely seen better days in its youth.

"Found what?" He asked when she dropped down on her behind in front of him, grinning inexplicably at him. You would swear that she discovered a treasure cove.

"The perfect fishing spot!" She answered him giddily. "Oh ma-a-an!" Her entire body shivered with an excitement far to overwhelming for her to keep bottled away, he guessed from the looks of it. "I'll finally be having some of your homestyle cooked fish for dinner tonight! Damn, I can't wait to sink my teeth into that!"

Squall tried not to roll his eyes. "So that's what this is about."

"C'mon, Squall!" Prishe clapped both of her hands together in a gesture one would immediately recognize as an act of supplication. "Don't make a girl beg! Let's go fishing, Squall, just you and me; no one else! We'll have a feast tonight that'll make even those lofty gods envious!" When she noticed that the gears in Squall's head were refusing to turn in her favor she resorted to the ace in her sleeve, doing her best impression of the fabled puppy dog look. It would have brought the common man to cardiac arrest and left him passing with a content smile on his face to have witnessed such a picture of adorableness. "I don't wanna do it without you."

Squall was no a common man so he still had breath in him yet. "I'm coming already." The young commander groaned in annoyance. "Cut the act before you rob me of my sight."

"Hell yeah!" the elvaan whooped, pumping a fist to the air. "I love you, man!" And she then proceeded to throw her arms around his neck, nuzzling the side of her face into his chest like a charmed kitten.

At that point he couldn't resist rolling his eyes any longer. "Whatever." Still, he found his hand resting itself on top of her head, all the same, in a subtle gesture of affection that earned him a brilliant smile for all its boldness. Had any of the lion's other companions been around to witness the scene, particularly those of the feminine variety, one would imagine consequences.

...

...

"Dammit!" Prishe growled irritably, wiggling her fishing rod back and forth and thrusting her hips in a matching motion that resulted in the occasional bump of her butt against the back of Squall's head. A look at the lion's face indicated that he had already gotten tired of dodging at this point. "What the hell are they waiting for? Take the bait you dumb bastards!" And, amazingly enough, this wasn't the anger in her talking just yet.

"They'd be dumb to jump on your hook, especially with all of the movement you're making." Squall commented from behind her, managing to settle her down to his relief. _The fishing rods probably came from a moogle shop, I'd wager, but the boat?_ Squall looked over his shoulder at the now sitting elvaan. "Prishe?"

"Yeah?" She responded in the tone of a dispirited moan, pointed ears drooping in defeat.

"Where'd the boat come from anyway?"

"Me and Trion came upon a bunch of em' in Pravoka the last time we paired up. Looks like it was a booming port town before it went to hell." She told him, the conversation lifting her spirits somewhat. "Maybe we'll come across an abandoned galleon or something if we travel far enough along the coast. Who knows?"

"And what would you do with a ship that big?" The commander inquired to humor her.

Prishe's ears perked up happily at the question, "You and me can go further out to sea and start catching crabs!" Her eyes glazed over at the prospect of partaking in the fine dining of a crustacean with her fine companion. "Mmmm!" The moan that rumbled from her throat summed it all up quite nicely, as did the tinges of red in her tanned cheeks.

Squall smirked to himself, shaking his head in good humor. "I figured your scheme would lead to something along those lines." The smirk fell away when another boat came around the bend of the mountains that surrounded the lake he and Prishe were fishing in. _Could it be an enemy? _The lion's grip tightened a little around his fishing rod as the other boat cleared the bend, approaching them at a steady but friendly speed. _No, not an enemy... _He deflated when a familiar smile invaded his view.

"Ahoy there, instructor Leonhart!" Aerith Gainsborough greeted him with a wave, her voice adapting a pirate twang to impressive effect.

"You're kidding me." Squall's expression deadpanned, his eyes swiveling away from the flower girl at the presence of yet another boat coming around the bend; one with Cloud Strife pumping earnestly at the oars and Laguna Loire sitting across from him at his own leisure, scribbling into a small journal with a quill in hand. Every now and again the older gentleman dipped the feather tip into an inkwell out of view.

_Not that guy. _The SeeD inwardly cringed at the sight of the Galbadian journalist.

"Oh!" Squall kept his eyes on the water when Laguna took notice of him, calling out, "Oi, Squall! It's me, Laguna!" He began waving him down with one hand, calling out in a louder voice from across the lake. "Can you hear me?" The noise itself could wake a malboro from its hibernation, which would have lead to nasty consequences for everyone. Squall did his best to appear oblivious to his presence regardless.

"I don't think he heard me." Laguna said in a lowered voice, turning to Cloud who appeared far more interested in what was going on in Aerith's general direction as opposed to where he happened to be rowing, which set up an awkward scene as his boat just seemed to be traveling at random. Unaware of Cloud's absence in the scheme of things, Laguna spoke on, "Try to get closer." He returned his attention to Squall. "Hey, Squ-u-a-all!"

_Oh, Hyne. _A bead of sweat began to form at the commander's brow, between ignoring Laguna's incessant calls and avoiding any direct eye contact with Aerith who just stared on like the thing that wouldn't blink. _A moron on one end, and... _He glanced at Aerith, just admiring him from her boat in the distance. _..and HER at the other. All I need now is a visit from the witch..._

It appeared that his irritable mood was infectious because Prishe could no longer contain her perturbation, "What the hell, Squall?" She could ignore it no longer, what with Laguna still calling like a car alarm going off in the middle of the night from afar. Cloud's rowing was only getting them farther away so the journalist was forced to project even harder. "This was supposed to be our private fishing spot. How did these guys manage to find it so easily?"

Squall could only shrug, bowing his head. "Don't know."

Then it came. The bowsprit came into view first before the bow followed, sending ripples across the water that nearly buffeted the smaller boats already taking residence. In time even Prishe could no longer ignore it; a large galleon with billowing sails, the likes of which she'd only imagined in her wildest dreams of crab catching with her dark companion, came sailing in like a majestic beast of the waters. The gold ornaments decorating the proud looking vessel reflected the sunlight, blinding them with each bounce of the reflecting rays until it was nearly upon them.

"Ahoy there, mateys!" Tifa Lockhart cried out to Squall and Prishe from the crows nest of the ship. Firion, Onion knight, and Cecil were standing from the shrouds, peering at the mountains surrounding them for sight of any flying monster tempted to perch themselves on the masts; Terra, Yuna, and Tidus were leaning back against the rails on deck, and Lightning Farron stood at the forefront of the ship deck, staring down at Squall triumphantly with her arms crossed as if to tell him that he was missing out on something only she could offer him. Warrior of Light was all, but forgotten at the helm, steering with the usual expression of stoicism.

"Squall!" The elvaan dropped her fishing rod and turned about to lean on his shoulder, pointing to the ship with a trembling hand. "CRAB CATCHING!" Prishe nearly screamed in glee.

Squall's eyes never left Lightning's as a staring match for the ages ensued between them. "Yeah...I don't think it'll be that simple, Prishe." He mumbled, which were words truly spoken at best because another was about to join the party...

* * *

><p><em><strong>END<strong>_

* * *

><p><span>OMAKE<span>: _**~ Fated Tryst**_

_So perhaps it wasn't such a coincidence that they would have crossed paths once again and under the bewitching gaze of the moon hanging above them. She had left the camp at this late hour with the intention of blowing off steam and there he was, knight of the sorceress, sitting upon a high standing rock formation as if his wish was to get sucked into the ever stretching passage of night and depart from terra firma. There he was, the cause of her stress and ever building irritation; the shrouded figure from her dreams that would refuse her peaceful slumber._

_"My lucky night." The white valkyrie could feel the goosebumps crawl up her arms as she climbed to the top to meet her nemesis; whether the sensation was due to the cold night air or something far more personally related was lost on herself entirely through the steady ascent. She licked at her lips impatiently, fearing that she would lose her congenitally lacking sense of restraint before she could grasp the ledge with her outstretched hand, and when she did only to find him still staring to the stars and not at her arrival, a crack of fire came alight in her belly. "Hey."_

_"What?" Came the smooth baritone of the black lion sitting at the edge._

_The sergeant felt her brow twitch at the nonchalance of the man's reply. "You knew I'd come up here." It could have been a question; then again it could have been a statement._

_"I had a feeling." The black clad gentleman's answer came all the same as he pushed back from the ledge and rose to his feet, turning to face the woman of blush mane. "Something you need to get off your mind?"_

_She smirked at the absurdness of the question, a curl that rarely identified with the ends of her lovely lips, and for a moment she appeared as kind to him as any friend. "You have no idea." Her blazefire was drawn to punctuate her sentence, rising in a slow arc to bear in his direction. To her disappointment, however, the unspoken demand for another duel was not immediately answered with the draw of his revolver, as had become their personal precombat ritual._

_The dark mercenary merely stared. "This will be the sixth time that you've pointed that blade tip at me."_

_The valkyrie bristled at the response, "What of it? You'll only draw your sword if your witch is involved, is that it?" Anger seeped into her words like the taint of venom, barely conscious of it herself._

_"She's safely asleep in her bed." He told her, his tone inflectionless. "That being as it is, I don't have any reason to engage you as an enemy."_

_"I'm not having that." She snarled, hand tightening around the handle of her blazefire. "I haven't seen you for a while, and in that time I've been doing a lot of thinking about you and me. Something about you seriously puts me off."_

_The lion either smirked or it was a trick of the moonlight. "And your immediate reaction to seeing me again after all that time is to fight me?"_

_In spite of the white hot emotions searing through her thoughts, her voice expelled from her lips coldly. "It'll make me feel a whole lot better." Her patience finally worn through, the white valkyrie charged to meet her black lion, swinging her blade arm upward in a vertical slash in hopes that it would provoke him into baring his fang for her._

_**~`TCHzzzKT`~**_

_She was pleased to meet the instrument of his might once more; blazefire embraced revolver like two desperately reunited lovers, and the ring of steel was their cry of exultation at meeting one another on the field of battle once again. Their dance had gone in full swing like the steps had been practiced in their heads over and over in preparation for their inevitable encounter, elegant and pure without deception as to do so would have been to cheat one another. In spite of being enemies their souls were one in that instant, trading blows, dodging and weaving through and through, but as the dance went on it invited further danger and aggression. The valkyrie could feel her bloodlust rise with each thwarted bite of her blazefire, and the coolness in the lion's eyes grew hotter in kind. They were together as one, but there was still a degree of separation that they had to overcome. They knew it was present, but to destroy it would require a risk like no other._

_"Hyaaa!" And with that feral cry from the valkyrie, her sword finally drew blood from her adversary. Her fang cut into his forearm, tearing through his leather jacket and exposing flesh for her eyes to feast upon. It only took a matter of seconds for the sight to inspire new emotions to arise. "So you bleed after all!" She charged forward._

_The lion brought his revolver before him to stop another strike from her and stood his ground as she placed the full extent of her weight against him. "Is that what tormented you about me?" He asked her, his voice steady as if to spite her drawing of his blood. "Whether I could bleed just as you can..." His lips curled into a roguish grin. "...Or if you could actually touch me?"_

_"And why are you so reluctant to answer my aggression?" She questioned him, mirroring his grin. "Afraid of what you might discover about yourself?"_

_The lion made his fang melt away with the wind and she stumbled into him, falling against his chest with a surprised "oomph". "Maybe." He answered her, looking into her flushed face. "Is that all you needed to know?" Their faces had somehow become closer within the span of time that his question was made, perhaps because her lips had crashed against his in too abrupt a manner for him to fully understand just when or how it happened, and when her hands began roaming over him and his hands over her it all started to make less sense. His sense had left him only to be replaced with something more in tune with his instincts. This was right, a part of him affirmed as his hands slipped down the curves of her waist, grasping the supple flesh of her posterior and pressing her body tightly so that it molded completely against his. This woman was right, he thought as he explored her mouth with his tongue, readily inviting her own when she made to explore his. _

_And yet..._

_The lion broke away, stumbling back from the valkyrie. "This isn't right." He said aloud, more to himself than to her. "What am I doing?"_

_"Where are you going?" She demanded of him when he turned away._

_"Back to where I'm needed." Was all he would offer her before he dashed to the edge of the rock and jumped down from her sight._

_"HEY!" She wouldn't let him escape her again, not this time. She ran to the edge and jumped down after him, making chase with her strong legs as he attempted to escape with his own. "Bastard! Get back here, I'm not done with you!"_

_"Get back to your friends, sergeant!" He told her, never looking back. "I'm not one of them!"_

_"Then what are you, dammit?" She berated him, lungs burning, but exhaustion be damned. "You're no agent of Chaos!"_

_"He said__–" Something got in between them, the valkyrie could sense it, but it was too sudden for her to plan a proper countermeasure. "__–leave him alone!" And that's when the fist became buried in her stomach, stealing away what little strength she had left in her. The lion stopped running, but only because her knees had failed her._____

_____"Ugh!" She doubled up, losing her balance and gracelessly tumbling into the ground like a rag doll. "For the love...of Etro..." Her vision fogged and her lungs felt as if they had been set on fire._____

_____"You again." She heard his voice speak to the mysterious interloper. "What are you doing here?"_____

_____"This means you owe me one, Scar." The elvaan told him with a smile. "Whaddya say, huh? Wanna get something to eat?"_____

_He paused, staring down at the gasping woman on the ground, but his eyes didn't linger very long. "...I'll have to thank you, then."_

_"Alright!" The damned interloper cheered at the valkyrie's expense. "I promise to let you go before your witch comes looking for you, stud."_

_"Whatever." His footsteps carried away from her along with the elvaan's, and her hand instinctively reached for him. "This is the last time we're doing this together."_

_"Aw, c'mon, Scar!" The valkyrie heard the elvaan whine to him. "Why don't you quit hanging around with those losers and stick with me? Team Prishe is the way to go!"_

_"I have a duty to stay true to, you know that." Squall Leonhart answered her, his voice now a whisper in the distance. "No helping it, even if your offer is tempting."_

_Lightning Farron's hand fell to the ground. "Get back here...you...coward." And the rest was swallowed in darkness._

_**~END**  
><em>


	15. Recreation

**__**Disclaimer**_: _**__I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters...__

**_Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices_**

**_CHAPTER FIFTEEN_**

_By Traingham_

**_A.N/ _**_Because the fic is rated T._

* * *

><p>As the luck of the draw would have it a good number of the warriors that fought under the goddess Cosmos had served in the military during the course of their normal lives before they were plucked away by the golden haired deity. Firion had been a member of the resistance army, Cecil; lord captain of the Red Wings, Kain; a high ranking Dragoon of the Baron army, Terra; a former General of the Gesthalian empire, Cloud; a former member of SOLDIER, Squall; commander of SeeD, and Lightning; a former sergeant of the Guardian Corps. Even in the world of eternal conflict their disciplines had carried over with them, and with it the force of habit that had become ingrained in their original daily routines, so it wasn't uncommon for the other warriors to see the aforementioned individuals rise early to perform their morning exercises.<p>

Cecil Harvey would strip off his armor and do laps around Sanctuary shirtless (Usually returning covered in sweat, and wearing it better than any other man could) Firion would train in the Cornelia fields with his array of weaponry (impressing those who observed him with his frighteningly seamless mastery), Terra would meditate at the beach overlooked by Sanctuary (nearly immovable and unresponsive in her trance until she was finished sharpening her mental faculties) , Cloud would do his sword strokes and weight training (one thousand sword strokes with his buster sword, bench presses and squats), and Squall and Lightning would relentlessly push each other at their repetitions (they could very well end up challenging each other at push ups, pull ups, sprints, running laps, curls and sit up variations for a good few hours if left undisturbed).

That certainly didn't mean that the other warriors didn't engage in their own fair share of training and phsyical exertions. Tidus would swim, Zidane and Bartz would do...stuff , Tifa would shadow box and practice katas with Prishe, Yuna would review her teachings and strengthen her compabilities with her aeons, Warrior of Light and Onion Knight would have at swordplay, Laguna and Vaan would bother Shantotto and Kain would...Kain...he would do his own thing somewhere. They all had their own ways of staying sharp, but Squall and the others were more dedicated to their disciplines; almost religious one would say.

And while we're on the subject of Squall...

"What's that about, anyway?" Bartz griped to Zidane who was in the middle of sculpting a female figure out of raw clay on a flat stone sitting on his lap. The thief's hands were paying meticulous detail to the derri√®re of the figure, predictably enough as he did with just about every other project he busied himself with.

Zidane glanced at Bartz, his expression fraught with concentration. "What is it this time?" He edged his fine detail tool to carve the line introducing the crack of the sculpture's butt just right.

"Squall never invites us to work out with him." The wanderer complained, arms crossed. "I mean, c'mon man. I thought we were bros."

Zidane shrugged his shoulders, blowing softly at the excess clay bits to get them off without ruining his painstaking detail before replying, "Lightning has him covered." He took a moment to point to Lightning holding Squall's ankles just a short distance from them. The two were on their fifth set of sit ups and the L'Cie was barking at the shirtless lion to put some effort into his workout even as he pushed himself to his limits.

It was intense, and to some even mouth watering, but that was a different story taking place a little further away as Tifa, and Yuna spied from a distance like a couple of preying wolves. Prishe was there with them too, but she wasn't so much drooling over the sight of a shirtless Squall working his body to its limits as she was admiring his tirelessly flexing form. There lied the difference, even if the usual grin on her face began to more resemble a leer the longer her eyes remained glued to the sweating commander.

"Whew, that was a nice swim." Tidus said to himself, strutting by the three preoccupied females, shirtless and dripping.

"Yeah, that's nice, shut up." They responded thoughtlessly, ignoring the man meat that passed them without so much as a glance. Tidus wasn't sure why his pride hurt as he continued strutting away, but getting back to five and nine...

"We can do that just as well." Bartz argued with the artsy thief. "Its not like she's providing him some kind of exclusive service when she exercises with him."

At that exclamation Zidane set down his sculpting tool with a shake of his head. He reached up to pull the glasses from his face and pointed to the exercising soldiers with his folded pair of lenses in hand. "Bartz, you're so naive."

Bartz blinked at the overly familiar line. "Whaddya mean?"

"They're not exercising." Zidane explained, placing his free hand on his friend's shoulder. "Look closer. Notice the blush on Lightning's cheeks, the glistening sweat, the heavy breathing?"

Bartz nodded after a long stare. "So?" He shrugged logically. "Everyone does that when they exercise." He gestured to Squall. "He's doing it too."

"They're making love, man." Zidane came right out with it. "This is how they release their pent up frustration; By running each other ragged."

In turn Bartz looked to Zidane with a bewildered expression, shooting a pointed stare at the shorter warrior. "What are you..." Suddenly the sight of Squall and Lightning switching positions didn't seem so innocent anymore. With the lion holding the sergeant's ankle, breathing down on her with soft pants and sweat trailing down his hot skin, Zidane's lewd observation touched down hard. His eyes! He couldn't unsee the sexual tension radiating from the two any longer. "For the love of Boco!" He gasped like a stunned school girl. "That's indecent!"

It got even worse when Lightning started on her sit ups. Bartz had to turn away. "Get a tent or something, guys." He mumbled, blushing.

Zidane found that he was enjoying more than he had originally intended. The temptation to keep at it was too great to resist. "Could you imagine anyone else trying to get in on that action?"

"Come on, Light." Squall encouraged her in a husky voice. "Did I burn you out that easily?"

"Dammit, don't screw with me." Lightning snapped between breaths, her body beginning to feel the burn. "I'm keeping the pace just fine."

"Don't kid yourself." Squall scoffed.

"You want me to go faster?" The sweating L'Cie bristled at the taunt. "I'm not even hurting yet, kid."

"You think you can handle that?" The lion asked, unconvinced by her bravado. "You're just putting on a brave face."

"Hell yeah, I can handle it." Lightning pushed harder, her hair sticking to the sides of her forehead as she moved up and down. "How do you like that, schoolboy? That good enough for you?"

"I'm not feeling it."

"Liar." She shot at him. "You're feeling it plenty. You're just too proud to admit how well I can work it."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Wait til I get back on top." She growled at him. "You'll be regretting that."

He feigned a bit of surprise at her implied challenge."So we're going for another round?"

"That's right."

"Fine." Squall shrugged.

Lightning shrugged back, mocking him with her imitating tone. "Fine."

"Fine!" He shrugged back, his expression hard with determination.

Lightning returned the intensity with a patent glare. "Fine!"

"Fine." But this one didn't come from Squall or Lightning that time so they both turned their heads to the left to see just where exactly it did come from. Tifa and Prishe were staring back at them a little too eagerly (_Or rather at Squall_) sans Yuna. The summoner in question stayed behind in the background where one could see her doing frantic push ups in an attempt to get hot and sweaty before making her approach. It was kind of awkward seeing her do it in her usual summoner garbs though, made even worse by the way Tidus spied on her from an even farther distance like a dirty old man.

"We're ready to join in." Both monks told the two sweating soldiers at which point Zidane turned to Bartz once more and grinned.

"And now its a party."

Bartz shook his head disapprovingly. "It's unsightly, dude."

* * *

><p><em><strong>END<strong>_

* * *

><p><span>OMAKE<span>:_** _**~ A Villain Makes her Introduction?**_**_

"Ouch, ouch, ouch." Tifa hissed sharply under the firm ministrations of her partner, Squall Leonhart, applying a potion to the slash wound on her back courtesy of a Fleeting Flash that had literally come from nowhere. A small part of her really wanted to enjoy the unfamiliar sensation of his hand gently caressing her bare back, but the unpleasant sensation that accompanied the gradual knitting of her skin and muscle tissue was seriously getting in the way of any pleasure she wanted to derive from such an intimate act of healing (_One that she often jumped at the chance to deliver whenever she caught the black lion with a fresh wound to tend to. By now Squall made it his number one priority to stay out of her sight whenever he returned from a particularly arduous battle, lest he be on the receiving end of her potions._). Such a shame too. It wasn't like an opportunity like this came around her way any other day. Lightning kept close to the dark mercenary most of the time, all but outright staking claim on him as her own exclusive partner. When Tifa heard that the pinkette had ventured off with Firion today as opposed to her usual pick, she set out on the prowl for the commander before anyone else could approach him for an invite, and lucky for her that she had even managed to get a hold of the elusive gentleman while the sergeant was away on her own business. Apparently Prishe had been cooking something up herself, and the chances of Squall having ever turned down the elvaan if she had come to him first with whatever she had in mind for fun were, for reasons beyond the grasp of logic, non existent.

Squall Leonhart certainly was a hard man to read; probably one of the main reasons that Tifa Lockhart felt a strong sense of attraction to him. She wasn't sure what to classify the attraction as, however. She knew well enough that her heart beat soundly for Cloud Strife, that the blonde SOLDIER owned a part of her even if he himself refused to claim it, but lately Squall had been drawing her eyes, more often than not, simply by being near. She wanted to mean something to him, to be a friend to him that he could value; that much she dared to interpret from the indecipherable longing she felt for the black clad commander. At the same time she wanted to _torment_ him for inspiring such conflicting emotions, because she knew simply from observation of his interactions with Lightning Farron that he would be hard pressed to offer her answers to her nasty predicament. For all his encouraging her not to give up on love, he was so dense to it that it hurt to look at him sometimes.

Tifa looked over her shoulder, smiling slyly as she spied the look of concentration that set in Squall's face at he continued his application of the potion. "I just realized that this is your first time doing me. I'm normally the one providing the service, you know?" Her joke brought his eyes to her own, those blue eyes that could swallow her thoughts like the restless ocean. "It's about time that you returned the favor."

"If by favor you mean ambushes." Squall quipped in a rare moment of humor, though his tone and expression made it hard to tell whether it was an attempt to play along.

"Hey, it's called quick response." The martial artist argued with a grin. "Either I come to patch you up, or you just sit in your tent without a word to anyone, waiting for your wounds to heal naturally."

"Whatever." Squall finished the application and reached for the bandaging roll on the floor beside the cushion Tifa was sitting on. "Why did you partner up with me today anyway___–Take off your top. I'm going to patch you up___–______Cloud wasn't doing anything in the morning."

Tifa doubled over carefully, so as not to irritate the knitting wound, pulling off her white tank top completely as he instructed. "You mean, why didn't I ask Cloud to join me?" She paraphrased his question so the underlying message was far more obvious. "I can bother him for that anytime." She replied with a nonchalant flick wave of her hand. "It's not everyday that I get to hang out with my main man though!" She teased him with a pearly smile, looking over her shoulder again. She made sure to keep an arm wrapped around her breasts to keep them from moving into his line of sight when she did. "Lightning usually has a tight leash on you."

"Is that how it looks like?" He mused, holding the end of the bandaging to her. "I'm going to need you to help with this. I don't think I need to tell you why."

"Man, the other guys are going to be jealous when I tell them about this."

"Don't even joke about it." Squall warned her, looking over his shoulder to the tent flaps for a moment. "It wouldn't be funny if one of the others decided to enter the tent." _Even worse if it was an enemy._ It wasn't uncommon for one of the others to stop in for a chat if they happened to come across one of the tents he pitched along his travels. Bartz and Zidane were the usual culprits, stopping in to persuade him to let them stay the night for some good eating before setting out for Sanctuary with him the following morning. Lightning and Prishe weren't strangers either, and he did have his fair share of late night visitations from the enemy in the past. Ultimecia, in particular, had a frightening tendency of catching him with his pants down. He swore the witch was stalking him sometimes, waiting for the right chance to strike him down.

"Like Lightning, maybe?" Tifa suggested mischievously. "Nah. She's too busy with her other boy toy."

That perked him up. "Firion, you mean?"

"Well it's either him or you." She told him, rolling her eyes. "What did you do to get dropped today?"

"What are you talking about?" Squall asked, either missing the point completely or not wanting to follow her line of thinking. "We don't always have to be together."

"You usually are."

"Force of habit." Squall wrote the accusation off. "The same reason everyone else has their usual picks when they leave Sanctuary. Besides," His attention was drawn to a lone pebble on the ground, "Its good to alternate sometimes."

Tifa raised an eyebrow at the curious response. "Are you two fighting or something?"

Squall scoffed, closing his eyes briefly when he did. "No."

"Then why would you say something misleading like that?" She prodded him, reaching over her shoulder with one hand to accept the roll, wrapping it around once and handing it back to him under her opposite arm. They repeated handing it back and forth in this fashion until her wound was dressed adequately. "Sounds suspicious to me, pal."

"Its always tense when we're together." Squall explained, continuing the treatment without missing a beat as he did. "I'm saying that it helps to be apart sometimes."

"So Firion is her tension reliever?"

"Sure, go with that." He brushed off the intentionally risque comment. "I don't care."

"So who is your tension reliever?" Tifa asked, her grin oh so apparent through her question that Squall had to chuckle to himself. "Could it be me?"

"I wouldn't label you that way." Squall told her. "But, sure, we'll go with that."

"Sounds dirty___–OW!" ___She cried out when Squall suddenly slapped her back lightly without warning.

"There." Squall said, securing the bandage. "Favor returned."

"Actually," The martial artist stopped him before he could move away, tears stinging the sides of her eyes, "My chest feels kind of sore. How bout a___–___"

"Ask Cloud." Squall cut her off, standing up to walk away. "I'm going to hunt for dinner."

"But you're my main man!" She called after him. "And you still have a bunch of favors to return, buddy!"

"Whatever!" Squall shouted back, ducking through the tent flaps. "Get some rest or something, _pal_."

Tifa pulled on her tank top, getting up quickly to follow after him. "Wait up, dude!"

_**~END**_

* * *

><p><em>Random updates FTW!<br>_

_Meanwhile "Stalker's Log" has got the have the most divided readership I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. One side wants the story to be a serious romantic drama on the stories of Fuujin finding a way to rape Squall, another wants it to pick up on the humor and focus on all the girls raping Squall, then there's the unfortunate uprise of Xu supporters that want her to replace Fuujin and be the one to rape Squall (shot myself in the foot with her, I guess). That's neglecting the smaller voice of private messengers that want Ultimecia to be the one who rapes Squall despite just being introduced, and of course the Squall x Lightning shippers. Exciting times to be had._

_On that note I decided to start another FFVIII project on the side that involves a semi-serious telling of Squall Leonhart's (From the third cycle...long story) attempt to break Seifer Almasy and Rinoa Heartily up by training Fuujin to become a SeeD so she can hook up with his rival, allowing him to steal Rinoa Heartily for himself. At the same time he attempts to send Quistis in Seifer's direction to help speed along the process of the break up, unaware that Xu and Quistis are taking steps to lure Squall over into their own clutches, all while Selphie contends with her own more-than-a-friend feelings for Mr. Leonhart. All of this blows up in Squall's face when it completely backfires, naturally._

_This all takes place in a tale where Squall is intended to be the main villain by taking Seifer's role in the original story. It's happening. I'm serious. I was crossing a busy street on the lower west side when it suddenly struck me and I had to write it down on paper. Thank you divided readership._

_Take care,_

**_Traingham..._**

_P.S: More extra material to come soon..._


	16. Sympathy for the

**_Disclaimer_**: I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters...

_**Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices**_

_**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**_

_By Traingham_

_**A.N/ **__For the existence of something that left no shade or trace perhaps it is proven with the caress of a hand and not the weight of a word..._

_**A.N II/**_ _And fate is ever the curious mistress..._

* * *

><p>Squall Leonhart cast a pensive stare toward the direction of Mount Gulug while he poked the embers with a crooked branch in one hand, a rolled scroll of white parchment held gingerly in the other hand resting on his lap. The light of Sanctuary was absent so far deep into enemy territory and the hellish glow that the volcano bathed the lands with heightened the sense of unease that filled the black lion after passing his eyes over the words that were written on the moogle delivered message. How the adorable puff of fluff found him, he figured they had an intricate network of correspondence running between all of the moogle settlements.<p>

"Not going to make it back tonight." The dark mercenary said to no one in particular, rising from his rock to tend to the bird on the spit. Camping alone on this night he decided not to do anything particularly fancy with his dinner, however, unexpected guests weren't unheard of and Hyne have mercy if the drop ins were Prishe or Yuna. He spoiled those girls rotten, and while Lightning claimed in the past that she would eat anything he ever cooked for her he knew that even the former sergeant would have her own share of grumbling if the meat didn't stimulate her pallet in the flavor department. _(Spices weren't exactly cheap though.)_

"When was the last time we camped together?" He thought aloud to himself, his mind wandering to the many times that he and the pinkette shared a tent in the past. It was a natural occurrence back then for them to end the day camping out together whenever they left Sanctuary, however, with the decreased contact between them as of late that had become somewhat of a broken tradition, which was a blame to be shared between the both of them-not that they could do away with their pride long enough to accept that.

_Could it possibly be that I miss her?_ Squall almost scoffed when the idea crossed his mind. "...Whatever." He shook his head.

He wouldn't have gone so far as to say that he was especially attached to the L'Cie. Sure she was reliable company, but reliable didn't necessarily mean it was always pleasant. There were days that she could be his best friend, and then there were others when he was almost sure that she wanted nothing more than to smother him with a pillow. Back at Sanctuary practice duels with her were tame enough because everyone else would be watching them, but whenever they sparred alone he could swear she was out for his blood. Some talks between them could go on for hours and then there were evenings that they would spend staring at each other from across the campfire knowing that words would only lead to a heated argument.

"But the fact still remains..." He paused, staring into the crackling flames that appeared to snap at him from the bonfire. The rest of the words may as well have never came because he heard a pebble skip nearby forcing his instincts to override his current thought process like a flipped switch.

"Hey, schoolboy." Lightning Farron greeted him, approaching with her usual swagger even as Squall drew his revolver into existence out of reflex. "About to start dinner without me?"

To be absolutely honest, she couldn't have shown her face at a more bizarre time.  
>"Wait, how did you even find me?" The mercenary did away with his gunblade, but his stance didn't relax. "This isn't any of the usual hunting spots and I don't recall telling anyone what I came out here for."<p>

Lightning stopped at the other side of the campfire across from him, arms settling in their habitual crossed position. "Mognet. Ever hear of it?"

"What about my privacy?" He snarked aside.

"And what do you need privacy for?" The former sergeant asked with a suspicious cock of her head. "You going behind my back for someone else, schoolboy?"

Both of them engaged in a staring contest after the accusation was issued and the intensity crackling between their locked eyes seemed to fuel the bonfire between them until a small smirk cracked at the left corner of the dark clad commander's lips.

"Your first mistake was the walk; Lightning doesn't sway her hips _that_ much. Secondly, she hasn't called me 'Schoolboy' in a good while, and thirdly, she's currently recovering at Sanctuary from a serious injury dealt to her by Garland." Squall crossed his arms. "Besides, blunt as she may be, I don't think Lightning would ever openly display her jealousy to begin with."

Lightning frowned at his detective work, however, when the illusion tore away into the wind like a shredded fabric a displeased Ultimecia stood in her place, black wings spread out and pointed toward the sky.

"Maybe you should try other disguises for once." Squall suggested, returning to his earlier task of removing the bird from the fire. "If you're that hungry have a seat."

The sorceress quirked a brow, put off guard by the fact that he wasn't pointing his blade at her neck or showing any visible anger at her deception. "I don't understand. Why are you being so civil?"

"I fight when I need to." Squall answered her, setting the cooked bird on a silver platter _(Moogle made!)_ he had sitting on a dry stump. "If you're willing to be my guest tonight then I'm willing to act as your host." He stood away from the platter to face her when he was done. "After all, I have a debt to repay."

_**...**_

_**...**_

"Here." Squall passed Ultimecia a sealed bowl like container from his seat beside her in front of the campfire. The lovely witch held it in one clawed hand, shifting it to one side and looking to him inquiringly.

"What is it?"

"Mushroom soup." Squall answered her, looking to her response afterward. The soft gasp that slipped out of her mouth was all the answer he ever needed. "I take it that this isn't the first time I've made that for you."

Ultimecia rested the bowl on her lap, bowing her head with a slight smile. "You remember?" The way she sounded when she asked that question, it was like an old friend hoping to reconnect after returning from a journey far away.

Squall shook his head. "It came to me in a dream. I just happened to be eating a bowl of this soup with you at your castle, but that's all there was to it."

"There was a time when this was my favorite meal." The sorceress began in a melancholy tone. "I have particular days that I tend to associate it with..." She chuckled before continuing, "Like the day you tried to teach me how to fly because I couldn't get any sleep after having a nightmare about falling from the sky, or the night I wanted to show off my newfound powers of time distortion to you over a game of cards but you kept on screwing it up somehow." She rubbed her forehead, the corners of her lips lifting upward fondly. "I kept challenging you to flick a card at me so I could freeze it, but no matter how hard I tried you always managed to flick my forehead. I got so frustrated that I grabbed what was left of the deck and tossed it in the air."

"Did it work then?" Squall asked, taking it all in slowly.

"I made a mess and you just sighed and started gathering up the cards." She giggled impishly. "But you laughed. I always managed to make you laugh somehow whenever I messed something up. I suppose that in a way we were both innocent back then before we realized the true nature of our situation."

Squall leaned back on his rock, staring up toward the stars. "Me, a sorceress knight..." He mused, speaking the words as if recalling a fairy tale from a distant childhood. "I still find it hard to believe that it ever was a possibility."

"So hard to believe?" Ultimecia almost sounded insulted. "We were happy together, you know; I was happy. Even now I wish I had the power to lock time in a loop, forever living those days together." A far off expression graced her lovely face. "Days when I cried not from the pain of separation, but from the promise that tomorrow I could start a new day with you by my side. Knowing that I could have another chance at winning a game of cards, or to dance with you as you hummed the songs that were always stuck in your head, or to feel you against me as I slept to the rhythm of your heartbeat."

The commander almost did a double take. "We slept together?" Not that the idea was ever so unwelcome in his mind. She may have been his enemy, but that didn't detract from the fact that she was an undeniable vixen; perhaps in every sense of the word.

The witch laughed, grinning at his predictable response. "I suppose you could say we spent most of the night eagerly at work, and half of the morning sleeping it off." She took that moment to arch back, showing off her lean stomach, the tantalizing shape of her full breasts, swelling proudly with her posture. "No doubt you're curious to know the details of our late night engagements, not that they were exclusive to late nights, kitten."

Squall remained ever silent, the fingers of his right hand tapping impatiently out of the sorceress's line of sight.

Ultimecia could see the anticipation in his eyes. "You know the female body well, to say nothing of your stamina." She made a soft smack with her lips after she made a slow pass with her tongue. "By the end of it I never could form any intelligible words to halt your violent advance, and I still recall the way my wings would curl back at every successive peak you brought me toward with your unwavering dedication." She traced a finger down the full plunge of her dress until it reached her navel at which point she slowly bent one knee so that her dress hiked up to reveal the plump curve of her right thigh for his eyes to admire and feast upon.

For the first time the black lion could feel his rationale wavering in the face of such obvious seduction. "...Whatever." His hormones were ever the traitors.

"Oh, dark knight." She spoke to him huskily, staring him in the eyes with such need and a silent relinquishment that assured him that he could take her in his arms then and there and she would greedily receive the building fire in his belly. "If you truly wish to settle your debt to me, then grant me this night to quell the sorrow of my lost paradise."

"...It will be done."

* * *

><p><em><strong>END..?<strong>_


	17. Eggshells

**_Disclaimer_**: _I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters..._

_**Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices**_

_**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**_

_By Traingham_

_**A.N/ **You can pick your friends, and you can pick your enemies. They can do the same...  
><em>

* * *

><p>With breakthroughs in transportation came the march of man's insatiable love for the exploration and conquest of different worlds <em>(Perhaps in the metaphorical sense just as well as the literal).<em> With the rowboat came Prishe's newfound hatred for fishing as well as the kindling of a deeper friendship with Squall Leonhart, and with the discovery of the abandoned galleon the elvaan's newfound love for crab catching and the broadening of worlds between the black lion and the white valkyrie, but with the newest advancement came something quite unexpected. When Bartz and Zidane came about the Prima Vista in all of its questionably sustained glory _(Guarded by a terrible beast of a long forgotten age; A story for another time) _the genome was caught within the arresting grips of inspiration. He had a vision of something grand, an idea that he knew had to be realized or his journey for the truth of where he truly belonged would progress no further.

Bartz and Squall had contrasting expressions on their faces after hearing this unrealized vision out of Zidane Tribal's mouth. The capricious wanderer sported a large grin that welcomed the prospect of a new, unusual experience where as the commander's left brow raised as if to question the very purpose for the entire conversation and the thief's idea by extension.

"You wrote a play?" Squall finally got around to asking the question that Zidane was undoubtedly waiting to hear. His willing suspension of disbelief could only be taken so far.

Zidane nodded, looking quite pleased with himself once he did. "That's right, and that theatre airship that we found is the perfect place for my stage production!"

"Never figured you for a writer." The black clad gentleman mused thinking back to the theatre within the extravagant looking airship. The world of the warring gods was abound with its share of wonderful and extraordinary to bizarre and terrible discoveries, from abandoned palaces and temples to seemingly bottomless craters gushing with cosmic energies and enchanted forests with trees that stretched ever upward toward the heavens. Every new discovery was tied to all of them somehow, and Squall had a hunch that this Prima Vista held a part of Zidane. "That airship might be connected to your memories."

"I figured the same thing." Zidane pulled a small leather bound book out of his traveling satchel. "I couldn't make sense of the day dreams I kept lapsing into after our little evening cruise until I recorded them on paper. Turns out that I was thinking up a play without realizing it."

"A journal?" The commander regarded the little book with mild interest. _How long has he been keeping that?_

Bartz produced a journal of his own. "I've got one too." The wanderer informed Squall with a cheerful grin. "You'd be surprised how much it helps!"

"Of course." The mercenary grumbled darkly, folding his arms. Why hadn't he thought of keeping a journal? With all of the random nonsense that his brain tossed at him every other day of the week he should have already been recording them to get a look at the bigger picture. Those dreams of living together with Ultimecia, that eye patched beauty always staring from a corner at his back, that sly looking woman with the short hair wearing that familiar uniform.

_I'd probably have a better sense of what they all meant now if I'd kept them recorded in a journal sooner._

Steering away from his own issues, "So how do you know this vision in your head is a play, exactly?" Squall inquired.

"Well, it all took place on a stage, for one." Zidane explained as simply as he could. "I also happened to be one of the actors there."

"Making the hunch about it being a memory more credible." Squall deduced with a bow of his head. "Were any of the others there with you?"

The thief shook his head. "The other actors with me were completely different people. What bothers me is that I was wearing the same clothes on stage that I have on now."

"So you might be wearing a costume right now." Squall was heedful of the genome's concern. "You could have been brought into this world with a false sense of identity from the very start."

"Those daggers you brought along with you were real enough." Bartz commented, well aware of the ominous implications being made here. "And you obviously know your way around with them. Were you using them on stage?"

"I was holding a short sword, actually." Zidane answered, closing his eyes as he brought a hand to the side of his temple where he tapped a finger in deep recollection. "It didn't look like the real thing though."

Squall sighed. "Acting this out might be our ticket to getting further with this..." He looked aside with his arms still folded. "Or we could just be chasing a false ghost." Hyne knew, that song in his head was like a phantom taunting him for his vain efforts to make sense of what it meant to his identity.

"All we need are actors." Bartz said, looking to Zidane with a quick addition of, "...and costumes." He looked up to the clouds. "Props too."

"Scouting out actors isn't going to be difficult." Squall quipped with a sardonic afterthought of___–____Not that you have much of a wide selection to choose from, all things considered. _

There were the warriors of Cosmos, and then there were, well, not the warriors of Cosmos. Peculiarly enough that didn't stop the possibility of Kuja being a prospective candidate from entering his head. The image of Kuja proudly standing upon a stage vanished in a puff of smoke when the lion felt a light poke at his chest.

"That's where you come in, Squall." Zidane told him, sounding ever so hopeful. Prishe and Terra were better at concealing their expectations.

"I'm not scouting anyone."

"C'mon Squall, just one person!" The thief brought both of his hands together pleadingly. "That's all I ask!"

Squall remained silent after receiving the plea, scrutinizing the thief's body language for any suspicious giveaways of his intentions before narrowing his eyes with a question of, "Who?" _When you narrow it down to one person I can't help but feel that I'll be dealing with more trouble than this favor is worth._

Zidane jumped at the chance to make his request faster than a magic pot in an elixir shop, with a prompt cry of, "Tifa!" His unfortunate friend's immediate reaction to the sound of that name was about the equivalent of one stubbing their toe on a sleeping cactuar.

An amused smile broke out on Bartz's face at the mercenary's response as he folded his hands behind his head.

_Dammit, I was right_! Squall squashed the overwhelming urge to face palm at that very moment. Of all of the people Zidane could have asked for___–___ "Why does it have to be her?" The lovely bartender made it quite clear to him a few nights ago that she was all too willing to have fun at his expense whenever the opportunity presented itself. Her drop in at Lightning's tent in the middle of his visit of the injured L'Cie could have been nothing short of premeditated, and despite how indirect Lightning had been about it, she was the opposite of pleased by the end of Tifa's _'good natured'_ visit.

"The hair, Squall!" Zidane answered in a manner that made it sound as though this should have been common knowledge between them. "She has the hair of a princess! That's what I need for the person who plays Cornelia."

This was far too easy to call him out on and he knew it. Squall knew it and Bartz was damn well in the know.

"The hair..." The commander responded flatly, inciting Zidane to hold up both hands as if to deflect the unspoken insinuation that Squall may or may not have been making.

Smiling suavely the thief professed, "Before you say it, I'm more about women with volume below the waist, not up top."

"Hasn't stopped you before." Bartz cracked like a whip from behind the genome, becoming particularly interested in what Warrior of Light was doing a fair distance away when Zidane turned to glare at him. He was staring at...what was that guy staring at?

Now Squall face palmed. "Forget about that." He growled, suppressing the image of Lightning's shapely backside from his thought flow before he became too distracted, which was more a test of his self discipline than he expected. "What is keeping you from approaching Tifa yourself?"

"The promise of her crushing him to itty bitty pieces if he does." The wanderer appeared to be on a roll today, and the genome was none too happy about it.

"Stuff it, Bartz!" Zidane snapped at the chortling mime before turning back toward Squall. "Look, you and her are chums, so you have a better chance at convincing her to take up the part!"

Squall leaned back with a response of, "Chums?" Were the two of them really spending that much time together?

Zidane reached back to clutch at his hair with both hands, directing an incredulous stare at Squall. "I refuse to believe this." He whipped a hand in his direction. "How can you not see how obviously fond she is of you?!"

"She comes directly to you whenever Cloud is unavailable..:" Bartz trailed off with a side glance before going on, "...or unwilling to partner up with her, which is almost all the time."

"And you don't exactly turn her down." Zidane went for the two punch. "As many times you two have left Sanctuary together rumors are bound to start flying around, you know?"

_"She better with her hands than me?"_ Suddenly that cryptic line that Prishe shouted to him from across the pond the other day made a lot more sense. It would also explain Lightning's cold reception of him the other night _(And her irritable mood when Tifa walked in)_.

"Whatever!" Squall came out with it perhaps a little too defensively.

"Then," There was a press against Squall's chest as Zidane began to speak and the commander looked down to receive a thick roll of papers, "this should be no problem for you! Just work that bad boy charm on her and she'll jump right onboard!"

Squall might have blanched. "I didn't agree to___–___" Zidane winked at him before he could finish protesting and hightailed it. Bartz shrugged when Squall set his sights on him and turned on his heel lazily to walk away.

"...Now would be a good time to defect."

* * *

><p><em><strong>END<strong>_


	18. Genuine, 2nd take

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Dissidia or any of its characters..._

_**Final Fantasy Dissidia: Scents & Spices**_

_**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**_

_By Traingham_

_**A.N/ **__"Don't speak. I know just what you're saying, so please stop explaining. Don't tell me cause it_–_" -No Doubt, Don't Speak-_

**_A.N II/_**_ Is it the lie that hurts us, or realizing the existence of a truth?_

**_A.N III/_**_ Time control, a procrastinator's dream!_

* * *

><p>It was midafternoon when most of the warriors got off deck and retreated into the cozy confines of the cabins within the galleon. Crabs were hauled into the boat at Prishe's steady insistence earlier in the day, cooked by Squall Leonhart with the helpful assistance of Terra Branford and an ever observant Aerith Gainsborough, and dined upon by the boat crew on deck with garlic bread and beer as they chattered and enjoyed the picturesque sights under the slowly setting amber blaze of the sun. Not many days were spent like this in the world of the warring gods, and the overall morale of the band of warriors was uplifted during the blessed reprieve.<p>

It was a surprisingly uneventful sail across the ocean, which only placed a few of the more cautious warriors on higher alert in suspicion of a surprise attack by some of the more conniving warriors of Chaos. Squall, in particular, left Bartz and Zidane to continue playing their intense round of tetra master in their shared cabin to come out on deck and stand watch for anything that could be deemed unusual; at the same time he had to admit that it was the nostalgia of sailing about in the middle of Hyne knew where with the salt spray kissing his face that lured him away. It made him feel restless. Every little reminder that the person he was now wasn't the person he would be when his memories decided to fill in the empty spaces made every step he took to that revelation too painful to take. He often wondered if he would like the person that he would become when that day arrived.

The black lion climbed the stairs to reach the fore end of the ship and walked to the bow where he took a seat, watching the waves ripple against the boat with little resistance. It wasn't long after Squall settled into a state of stillness that he detected movement in the corner of his eye. The initial suspicion that tugged at his mind was of the flower girl stalking him–as was her usual practice, however, turning to face his new found company he found himself wishing that his first guess had proved true.

There sat Lightning on the guard rail, one leg hanging off the outer edge with the other curled up close to her chest. She did not turn to face him when she told him, "Took you long enough." This was cause for concern because the sergeant was an aggressive woman by nature, so for her to wait on him to appear instead of simply dragging him out by the collar could have indicated many things–most of them bad.

"Should I be concerned?" He asked this question because Lightning's presence triggered a natural sense of dread–almost too natural for him to fully comprehend without associating that feeling with danger. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that Lightning was not one to indulge in small talk, something he was once grateful for when they initially began traveling together; however, over time he realized that it only meant that whenever she did intend to exchange words with him it was either to discuss something that was bothering her, or to get inside his head. As one could probably guess, dinner conversation was intense.

Lightning's response to his question was to cross her arms and tilt her head to the side. "I'd think that anytime it comes down to just you and me locking eyes from a distance, you should be very concerned." She was honest in how she viewed her relationship with him, that much was always consistent.

"If you're talking about earlier," He would have been referring to the silent little stare down they engaged in when she made her grand entrance on his leisure fishing trip with Prishe, "the thought did occur to me that you might have wanted to talk."

"Funny then, that you've been avoiding me since you boarded the ship." The sergeant quipped, no amusement present in her reprimanding glare. "You didn't even put any effort into seeking me out when it came time to eat."

"Well…" The SeeD commander felt his tongue grow swollen in his throat. This conversation was beginning to feel like a noose tightening around his neck, and Lightning was watching him at the gallows. "I'm here now." This woman had a disturbing knack for bringing out the moron in him. Why this silent understanding brought mister Loire to the forefront of his mind was beyond him.

"Because I made this meeting happen." Her retort was sour, complimenting her expression. "What's going on, Squall?" Addressing him by name was something that she normally did not do in their conversations. All of these signals were making him sick.

"You're usually brusquer about our talks, Lightning." Squall told her, growing weary. "If this subject is so difficult for you to get around to then why start this conversation in the first place?" She had a short fuse for tolerance so he figured taking a stab at her would be the best way to force her hand, and her reaction did not disappoint. Rising to his unspoken challenge, the sergeant got off the guard rail and closed the distance between them so quickly that Squall had to reign in the natural impulse to defend his personal space.

She snatched him by his shirt, pulling his face toward hers. "Take an interest for once!" Her beautiful face was twisted into something fierce, like a snarling wolf. "We're partners, so why don't you act like it?"

"Because in the end it isn't something real." Squall replied, his expression a chilly contrast for hers. "I've thought about it, Lightning. I've had so much time to dwell on it, just like I'm sure you have." He felt her grip tighten further. "Who am I, really? Where do I come from? Who's waiting for me back at home?"

There was a particular glassiness to the eyes of the l'cie when he said that. "Does it matter now? Why can't you just think of me…of this moment we're sharing right now as something real? When I bleed for you, and when you bleed for me; the taste of your food, the warmth of your touch–these things are real to me."

"For how long, Light?" Squall asked her, his tone warmer than before and that only seemed to make his words hurt more. "How long do we get to indulge in this fantasy before we wake up and realize that the truth will always be waiting for us at the end of the road? Cosmos says we were brought here from different worlds to fight a war. I may not know who I am right now, but the gods figured it would be convenient to leave my memories of being a mercenary intact. Speaking as a mercenary, I know what happens at the end of a war…"

Lightning felt compelled to finish the thought for him, "…when the war ends we go home."

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>END<strong>_

* * *

><p><em><span>Omake<span>~_

Ultimecia claimed to be a sorceress that could control time, a claim that she made sure to mention in passing to her beloved knight time and time again so as to hammer the fact home until he could no longer deny it. Squall, the knight in question, found this claim to be false because all of her attempts to prove to him that this was indeed a fact always fell flat, which caused no end of frustration for the self proclaimed time mistress. While her mastery of the elements was unfailing and had snatched them from the jaws of defeat on more than one occasion, watching the dignified sorceress try to freeze falling cards in mid-air or purposely push a glass over onto the floor so as to provide the perfect opportunity to show off her ability to turn back time to the moment it was sitting on the edge of the table was enough for even one who has witnessed the potent fury of her powers to not take her nearly as seriously as they should.

"Hey, Ultimecia." Squall had a theory though. "Wake up, Ultimecia." Maybe the reason the sorceress so badly desired the ability to stop and rewind time had much to do with her bad habits. "Ultimecia!" That way she could actually grumble for him to give her five more minutes and not have to face his wrath when she turned five measly minutes into an entire hour of non productivity. "You're leaving me no choice, you know?" Maybe then she would have the power to stop Squall before he resorted to doing the one thing she dreaded most every morning.

"Oh, Hyne, no–EEK!" Ultimecia only had enough time to regret her laziness before Squall proceeded to flip the cover off the lower end of her body and clamp his teeth down onto the plump and meaty left cheek of her derriere, and so, following in line with the crack of every other morning of her life, dawn was broken with Ultimecia's high pitched shriek for mercy.

It was a while after Ultimecia washed up in the bathroom, keeping her knight waiting for almost another hour since she fell asleep in the shower, that she lounged on the couch in the parlor glaring the closest thing she could manage to daggers at him as he stared back with his arms crossed from the other side. The sorceress did not appear to be in the mood to talk, so Squall decided to start off.

"So I think it's safe to say that we've tried everything in the book as far as getting you to fly is concerned." The dark knight began, looking aside. "We've tried every thing from having you jump off from great heights, to me holding you over my head running at top speed with haste cast. I'm beginning to wonder if your wings are just for show."

Ultimecia, already sore from having her powers over time doubted by him more than once, snapped. "My wings are the genuine article, alright?" She punctuated her exclamation by slapping his foot with the end of her left wing. "I just haven't figured out how they work yet..."

"Like your time powe–"

"Not like my time powers!" She cut him off, face red with embarrassment. "Those seem to work every other time I use them except when you're around to witness them!"

"That's mighty convenient, don't you think?" He asked, one brow quirked skeptically. "But." He held a hand up to halt any manner of riposte she might have intended to sling at him for doubting her. "I've been thinking that maybe we've been going about this all wrong. Maybe this has more to do with your confidence than your actual capabilities."

Ultimecia thought that one over. "...You think so?"

"Yeah. So I figured the best thing to do would be to get you a flying coach." Squall looked to the door of the parlor and called out, "You can come in now!"

The door opened and Kuja entered the parlor, at which point Ultimecia flinched into an upright sitting position form her prior lounging with a scowl. The silver haired genome noted the obvious hostility emanating from the sorceress like a solar beam and paused at the door.

"Look, Squall, you told me that she knew about this." said Kuja defensively before pointing to Ultimecia. "I want to uphold the end of our deal, but the third party is obviously against that happening."

"Right." Squall turned to his sorceress. "Ultimecia, now's not the time to be stubborn."

Ultimecia's response was to grumble something decidedly ill mannered, something that made the feathers on Kuja's head stand upright with paranoia.

"She just said she was going to kill me! I heard that!"

"Look, Ulty." Squall's baritone took on a sinister growl. "I've already paid for this favor to be done, so if you want to throw it away by being a brat that's fine, but I won't cook another bowl of mushroom cream soup until you figure out how to fly on your own." His words vanquished the aura of hatred immediately, leaving a frantic and defeated woman without a life boat.

"But, Squall, that isn't fair and you know it! You can't be–I mean..." Ultimecia tried to appeal to her knight, but his stolid stare left no room for negotiations. "Oh bother."

_**END~**_


End file.
